The Bird of Hermes
by deadpan riot
Summary: When "Father" consumes "God", he gets more than he bargained for. When "The No Life King" gives in to "Truth", he finds he may be in over his head. And once the dust settles on the battlefield, what will become of the world?
1. The Void

Summary: The Dwarf in the Flask Homunculus summons 'God' using the collective souls of Amestris to become a 'perfect being'. Unfortunately for him, the creature he's pulled into himself isn't one to be harnessed and controlled without one hell of a fight...

A/N: It seems that Hellsing/FMA crossovers aren't all that popular, but after watching Brotherhood, I could NOT get this idea out of my head.

Disclaimer:(for entire story) Being this is FANFICTION dot net, I obviously do not own either of the two worlds i'm mashing together. Hellsing and Fullmetal Alchemist belong to their respective creators, the only thing I get from this is whatever amusement I can wring from this storyline. Oh, wait, i own any and all spelling etc. mistakes. Thats all my bad. Spellcheck is only as good as whoever programs it ( i blame YOU bill gates. why? Falafels. What? My answer is irrelevant to the question? Well that in and of itself should be suffiecent answer... ;D)

**Warnings: This story is rated M for eventual violence, profanity, lewd behavior, dark humor, etc. There will be no pairings. Slight canon tweaking may occur, asides from the glaringly obvious bits that come with being a crossover. **

Chpt. 1: The Void

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To say it was dark here would have been inaccurate. To be dark, there would have to be a promise of light, but there was none. This place, this _void_, had never known the sun, never known the artificial lights created by mankind to stave off the fear that came with twilight. It was nothing really, an emptiness that was never truly empty, a place that by all means should not exist. It was the kind of place that the laws of physics, and even the laws of God said should not be.

And yet here he was.

Had he been in a more cynical mood, he might have suggested to no one in particular that a few street lamps be installed. Not that there where streets mind you, at least not any he was aware of. He was not, however, in such a mood. Any sort of emotion he may have felt up the realization of what he was going to have to do had quickly died, lost before it really began. There was no point to them, emotions. They would serve no real purpose, asides from leaving him feeling drained and holy unhappy when they deemed to leave him. And so, he felt nothing.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

But with every foe, no, every _piece of him_ that he fell his subconscious had to push away the mounting storm of emotions. To say that the No Life King had no problem killing the lives inside him he'd spent so much time and energy gathering would be like sticking to the theory that the sun was the one rotating around the earth. It was plausible, on the surface, but once you step back and reevaluate things you may come to realize the truth you've held so dear only exists on the surface.

Tearing through them, one by one, two by two, the anger grew. It wasn't that he felt anything for them, these things that had once been people. If he had they wouldn't have been there in the first place. No, it was the fact that they were _his_, that angered him. That he had to destroy _himself _utterly and completely before he could live again all because of some damn Nazi bastard who didn't get the hint the first time irked him. Not that he had been complaining earlier mind you. Oh no, in fact he'd had a hell of a laugh then. After all, it'd been a long time since he'd gotten to cause that much death and destruction all in one sitting. Oh sure, the Judas Priest abandoning his principles, his _humanity _to become a monster of god had annoyed him, quite a bit in fact. And Walters betrayal? Well, he'd be lying if he said that one didn't come as a major blow below the belt. (he had lied of course, but that's besides the point) Yes, asides from those few brick walls in the road he'd had a marvelous time of it.

Until now, obviously. Trapped within himself, what an asinine thing. He'd still take it over being locked back in the dungeons for another decade or three. At least here he got to tear something apart whenever he wanted. It just sucked that it had to be _him_ he was tearing apart.

He looked over the top of his current victims head, taking note of the dead eyes staring back at him. Some of them held uncertainty, and others recognition. And with that recognition came malice, and with that violence. Although whether the recognition came from seeing him tear apart their fellows or from something else he wasn't quite sure. As far as his experience went, they shouldn't remember, who he was or who they'd been. But then again…

He pushed the thought away. It was useless, like so much else in this place.

'_923...924'_ The souls fell easily before him, dissipating away into nothingness as he mentally added them to his counter. After all, who wouldn't be curious to know just how many people they had inside them? Especially considering many had died at the hands of others, swept up into the mad flow of life he'd summoned to himself from the decimated streets of what was once London.

"Nine hundred twenty five!"

The skull beneath his boot crunched enticingly, even though by all means it shouldn't have. Souls being incorporeal and all. But the hell if that stopped him. Whether it was a bi product of his mind seeping through into this impossible place or further proof of his waxing and waning sanity, the fact remained that it happened. And he was just bloody fine with it, thank-you-very-much. Besides, either option probably led to the same conclusion.

"Nine hundred thirty!" He wrenched his forearm from the chest before him, then promptly inserted it into another with glee. The manic grin he'd become known for sliding easily onto his lips, promptly hiding whatever displeasure he felt at the sheer waste of this act, this, this _almost suicide_.

He felt his grin split, heard the laughter as it left his throat but on the whole felt wholly unconnected from it. The most he really registered was the fact that it did not, in fact echo back to him. And even then, he really only noted it with half a thought, having already noticed this many times before.

"Nine hundred forty two!" this too served no real purpose. There was no reason to announce the numbers that had fallen before him, no one to shock and awe, no one to horrify. Truthfully, he just liked hearing the sound of his own voice. It was soothing, in a way and helped stave off the feeling of being completely and utterly alone. The souls didn't count, of course.

"Nine hundred fifty thr-" He paused, both mid word and mid strike, attention immediately moving towards the vast nothing-ness that surrounded him. He waited, ignoring the man impaled halfway up his forearm, for whatever it was that he'd felt to reappear. He knew it would, that being the way of these kinds of things, it was just a matter of-and there, again. Like someone was rattling his bones from the inside out. With an unceremonious tug he dislodged himself from his current victim, gaze moving smoothly over the void itself. The feeling came again, stronger, and he noted the way the nothingness rippled as if it were water. His eyes narrowed, a frown tugging the corners of his mouth. Whatever this was, it couldn't be good. All the possibilities that played out almost instantaneously in his mind where ill in nature, growing more gruesome the longer they ran.

It was the way the hairs on the back of his neck took that moment to stand up that he realized it was behind him, and whatever it was, it could _see_ him. He turned slowly to look over his shoulder, twisting his upper body in a way that might have been somewhat painful had he been human. At first, there was nothing to see asides from the usual inky void and the meandering souls. It was the motion at the top of his vision that caught his attention. Tilting his head up he saw it, or more accurately, saw the side effects of whatever it was. The void was rippling, the colors changing hues in such a way as to be both subtle and blaringly obvious. And upon further inspection, he noticed a shape taking form, although he wasn't quite certain just what it was supposed to be. Despite the lack of form, he knew with no lack of certainty that it was _aware_. He could feel it as if it were an entity crawling along his skin. It was safe to say that every hair on his body was standing at attention. Whatever it was, it was something to be reckoned with, and he would have it no other way.

The feeling intensified, the core deep rattling in his bones reaching a frequency that both stilled and set them ablaze. He noted out of the corner of his eye that the souls he'd been engaging had backed off considerably, leaving him standing in open space.

"Cowards."

The words had no sooner left his lips than the ceiling (or was it the wall? He couldn't really tell) bulged inward towards him, coming alive with what looked to be poorly drawn veins. The distortion grew in size, gaining shape as it did so, leaving the void stretched taut and thin. Splashes of color appeared, as if being drawn from the outside world, fading only to be replaced until there was nothing, only a dull grey white reminiscent of fog. By now the disturbance had taken shape, the edges of it cutting into the fabric of his inner reality. He could feel the strain, feel the corners of the thing cutting into him as if it where a dull blade pressed against his skin. The veins, now stretched thin, squirmed as if in protest as the thing pressed forward until he could no longer see them. Every sensation he'd felt up until this point reached their peak, and had he been a mortal man it most likely would have incapacitated him. Instead, it only furthered his excitement.

"Come on then, show yourself! I wish to see my opponent! Don't tell me this void is to much for you.."

His taunt hung in the air, and for a moment everything stilled. Excitement filled him, flooding his veins and drowning his earlier displeasure as he recognized this moment, the moment before all hell would break loose. And oh did it. Just not in a way he would have expected. The void, stretched taut, ripped, at last allowing the rectangular object entrance, and enter it did.

He frowned, having expected something more…threatening. "A door?"

At least, he assumed it was a door, albeit the largest one he'd ever seen. It stood not ten feet from him, but towered easily twice that over him, and looked to be wider than he could stretch his arms. In truth it looked more like a giant concrete slab that someone had etched designs into. The only reason he thought 'door' was because of the thin line he could see running down the center. He would have dismissed it entirely as dangerous if it wasn't for the fact that he was more sure now than ever that it was looking at him.

The soft stone-against-stone sound reverberated eerily as the slabs began to part, swinging slowly outwards toward him. By the time the thing had opened completely, he'd turned to confront whatever it was that was being concealed, eyes raking over the inner blackness. He could make nothing out past a vague outline of _something_ taking up most of the space. He moved closer, halving the distance between him and it.

"This is it?" He called mockingly into the blackness. "How utterly boring."

At the sound of his voice the shadows shifted, throwing the object in the door into sharp relief. He had just enough time to register what it was he was looking at before it opened. A vertical eye almost as large as the door itself, iris a brilliant violet color hosting in its center a pupil larger than he. He stopped, only slightly an arms length away. This now, was interesting. He looked up towards the center of the pupil and flashed it a grin. Something in it's depths shifted, and the eye came to life, pupil dilating and fixing on him. He felt something deep inside his mind stir, a primal warning, an ancient fear; whatever it was he had little use for it, and so ignored it.

He held it's gaze, watching, waiting for it to reveal it's purpose. He was so intent on the eye that he failed to notice the way the darkness around it was shifting, _forming_ itself. He opened his mouth to taunt it into further action, but the words died in his throat. Eyes widening, he looked down at his left arm. A black, barely substantial hand gripped his forearm, the claw like visage cutting into the fabric of his coat. His eyes swiftly followed the impossibly long arm back to its source, which was, well, _nothing. _No, not nothing, he realized, they stemmed form the shadows.

He pulled back, finding very little give, even with his strength. He yanked his forearm upwards, twisting it to grab hold of the defiant shadow-arm, which was surprisingly, quite solid. One swift, easy movement and he'd managed to slice through the peculiar material with his free hand, the hand on his forearm dissipating instantly. Almost instantaneously another hand shot forward to latch onto him, this one catching the wrist of his right. He repeated his earlier move (only this time in reverse) only to find that by the time he'd torn through his target, three more had latched back onto his left arm. And this time, they where the ones that yanked, forcing his arm out and away from his body. He moved to free himself only to feel his right arm catch and be yanked back and away as well. He struggled, eyes snapping back to the pupil before him. It looked back at him, contempt and sick humor swimming in its depths. Baring his fangs in defiance he pulled his arms towards his chest, fully prepared to tear the things apart with his teeth. Try as he might however, they resisted him, refusing to budge more than an inch or so.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to drag your sorry ass out of there!"

He leaned all of his weight backwards, throwing every ounce of his strength into the task. He'd barely managed a step when he felt the now familiar pressure catch on various parts of his legs. This didn't deter him. He'd be damned if he lost a fight to a god damned eyeball. Shifting part of his attention inward he nudged his idle powers, calling forth his shadows to do his bidding. At his direction they latched onto the things that held him captive, pulling and crushing. Even more he summoned, shaping them into spikes and launching them towards the pupil. The first few didn't reach their destination, parried by the shadows within the door, so he increased their number. Finally, three hit their mark, and as they did he managed to destroy the hold the door had on him.

His victory was short lived however. Before he could parry it, a hand shot out, grabbing him roughly around the neck. He made to sever it only to find his arms yet again caught. Every attempt he made to free himself with his own shadows was countered by an endless number of the hands, and what's more, they were _pulling_ him. He strained backwards to regain lost ground, and for awhile not only held his own but managed to gain ground. The doorway creaked and the limbs holding him shook as he pulled them farther than they were meant to go. The pupil of the great eye swiveled, looking around at the shadow hands before finally settling back on him.

He laughed at the anger he saw there, sending out more tendrils to impale it with. They hit, causing the lid to close, severing his shadows as it blinked. The eyelid retracted with a barely audible snap, pupil re-dilating to focus in on him. The eye as a whole narrowed, revealing more black space. A dozen or so more hands shot out, just barely catching hold of him, their claws tearing into his skin in an attempt to gain purchase. Catch they did, and as a unit pulled at him, their combined strength dragging him closer. He kept his body ridged, trying in vain to plant his feet firmer into a ground that didn't really exist.

His shadows lashed out, both as spikes and as his Baskerville familiars, but it was in vain. For every hand he countered two more took its place within the span of seconds, and all the while he was slowly being dragged closer to the inside of the door. He knew he was getting nowhere, and so decided a change of tactics was in order. Without warning he lunged, catching his opponent off guard. Before it could retaliate he'd lodged his arm past the elbow into the pupil, twisting it viciously for good measure. He caught the eyelid in his other hand without looking, holding it still. He could feel the things' hands trying desperately to pull him away, and so using their own strength against them, tore his arm free before bringing it back to create a new wound. He was up almost to the shoulder this time, his face inches from the glossy surface, and only the burning red of his eyes reflected.

The lid in his hand strained, trying to both open and close in an attempt to be rid of his hold. He smiled devilishly before ripping his arm free once more. The grip on his limbs and neck tightened, but he paid it no heed, surveying instead the damage he'd caused. The two arm sized holes where closing, slowly yes, but closing non the less. He tilted his head slightly, as if in thought before lashing out again, with both his arm and his shadows. He felt almost every hit land, causing the eyelid he held captive to increase it's effort tenfold. He felt the strange shadow material give, and one final tug had the lid freeing itself, seemingly oblivious to the bit of itself that'd gotten torn off. He managed to pull his arm out just as the eyelid cut across, severing the shadows he'd left impaled in the thing. The eye swept back open and he lunged again, once more stabbing his arm into the pupil.

As he made to pull out, the pupil dilated, a horrendous pressure encompassing his limb. In a matter of seconds it felt as though all the blood in his veins straight up to his shoulder had frozen. It was like being stabbed by millions of tiny needles all at once, and what was worse, it felt as though they where _pulling him_. His eyes immediately went to the point where the pupil ended and his arm began, his fears confirmed. He watched as inch by inch his arm disappeared into the blackness before him, his attempts to remove himself failing. And what's more, the hands latched on to him were yet again pulling his forward. Refusing to be bested, he swung his foot up, catching it on the iris and pushed in an attempt to halt his forward movement. He cast his gaze about, only to find more hands darting around his shadow defenses to latch onto his clothing anywhere they could gain purchase. He summoned more spikes, sending them crashing anywhere and everywhere they could reach, only to find no resistance. Those too where being sucked inward, and he found he was unable to recall them.

He was in past the shoulder now, a fact he did _not _find amusing. He pushed harder with his foot, only to feel the surface of the iris give, almost as if it had opened up to swallow him. Which it probably had. The force he'd been pitting against it backfired wonderfully, sinking his leg in up to the mid thigh. He struggled valiantly, but it was in vain. Within no time half of him was awkwardly sticking out while the rest of him was god knows where. He was running out of options, the last few choices left him not ones he was really looking forward to. Basically it was either sever himself with his own shadows, or plunge head first into an angry bloody eyeball. And he had a nasty feeling that either way, he was going to end up in the fucking thing.

He fixed the depths of the pupil with one final, defiant stare. "Fine, I'll bring the fight to you, you bloody piece of shit!"

A quick shift of his weight found him plunging into icy darkness, the hands refusing to let go even when he'd been wholly submerged. He struggled, but now there was nothing to exert his force against. The forward motion was making him feel light headed, and the cold was seeping down to a place where even he could be bothered by it. It was as though he was being dragged along the ocean floor, crushed by thousands of miles of water that had never known the warm touch of the sun. The lightheadedness increased, his awareness slipping as if he wasn't getting enough oxygen, at odds with the fact that he _didn't need to breath. _

A speck of slowly growing white appeared in his vision, and for a moment he was gripped with the horrible, and wonderful, idea that he was finally going to die. He crushed down the indignation at being bested by an eye, let it be destroyed by the whiteness that was slowly growing to consume him. He relaxed his straining muscles, letting the hands take him where they pleased. The last thing he registered before his mind left him was the ever present skepticism towards god, the afterlife, and his current peculiar situation.

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A/N: Tell me what you think eh? I'm curious to know what you guys think about throwing Alucard into the FMAverse. Next Chapter: Alucard realizes that maybe he's not as dead as he originally thought


	2. Racist Earthquakes

a/n: This took alot longer to update than I'd originally intended, buuuut work got in the way, so I wrote this in bits and pieces over the week. Hopefully that doesn't show too much. I made it as fluid as I could without having to spend another day altering the shit out of it. So as usual, any spelling or grammar or whatever mistakes are my fault (and Bill Gates'. Why? Didn't we already discuss that guys? Jeeze ;D) Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Another Damn Void (aka: Racist Earthquakes)

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How long ago he'd regained his awareness he didn't know. It felt as though he'd always been this way, floating in darkness with just barely a sense of being. His memories came back in bits and pieces, with no order, no rhyme or reason, just scenes of harsh color and whispered audio. There was no control, and as the pace of remembrance increased he found himself overwhelmed with the assault on all his senses. He was reliving everything at once, the sights and smells and noises all blurred together; emotions cascading one over the other until he could no longer decipher them, could no longer decipher anything.

The feeling of floating altered, and all at once he felt as if he were falling. The visions before his eyes blurred, colors brightening and melding until all he could see was red; bright, punishing red. The unintelligible noises in his ears found a common ground, their unorganized ramblings unifying into something recognizable: Wailing.

He was in Hell.

He tried to shut his eyes, only to find he didn't seem to have eyelids. He tried to right himself, to land on his feet, only to find he didn't have a body. He was nothing, he was no one.

_But then why did he have these memories?_

He latched onto them, the only thing that was left, the only thing that could remind him _just who he was._ And with that realization of _self_ reality exploded, and he _was._ When he closed his eyes, he _felt _it happen, despite the fact that the view couldn't be bothered to change. When he made a fist he could feel every single tendon, every inch of muscle, of skin, of bone. And when he opened his eyes, he became aware of his body relative to the space it occupied.

Hell melted, the singular hue opening its arms to it's darker-shaded brothers. Between the reds crept black, squirming, oozing into place, giving shape and depth to an otherwise flat and redundant plane. The chorus of screams and moans grew, gaining depth as new layers of angst-ridden vocalizations made themselves known. As he watched, vague outlines of what looked to be poorly drawn faces came into being, sliding into existence amid the garish colors. Misshapen mouths opened and closed in time to the noise around him, hollow eyes staring through him as he passed. He chose to ignore them, for the moment.

Looking up, up through his wildly dancing hair and past the thrashing tails of his overcoat, he saw nothing. That is to say, as far as his eyes could see there was naught but the reds and blacks of the wall-faces, the colors blurring into nothingness the higher his gaze climbed. Nothing useful, nothing concrete to say 'you are here'. Dissatisfied, he turned his attention downwards, only to find the view the same.

"Hell is a bottomless pit? HAH, how PATHETIC."

He sneered at the things serving as walling, not caring in the least if they could actually see him or not. This was no hell fit for _him, _so he'd be damned if he was just going to sit here idly and accept it.

Barely a conscious thought sent forth his shadows to dig into the 'walls', not only halting his downward motion but pulling him within reach of them. They succumbed easily to the brute force he administered, breaking apart completely with every handful he tore away. They were malleable, these things, far less corporal than the souls that he'd found residing inside himself.

There was little resistance as he pushed and pulled his way forward, only the ever-present writhing that persisted regardless of what he did. Soon he was surrounded, completely encased in the entities. Which unfortunately did nothing to drown out their incessant complaining. He doubled his efforts, determined to be free of the squirmy bastards. Feeling as though he'd been dumped into a pit of slimy, retarded eels was not high on his list of 'things-I-want-to-do-before-I-die(or ever)'.

Quite suddenly the view before him changed, and as it did the pressure around him increased. The souls were ejecting him, spitting him out like a bad piece of meat. By the time he'd registered that he was no longer encased in the wall of has-been people, he'd already made a hasty decent, flipped head over heals, and landed. On his back., in a veritable mosh pit. A mosh pit filled with naked people,; creepy, emaciated naked people. Which where not the most pleasant on the eyes, not that he really got a chance to do any proper(or improper for that matter) ogling. The second he'd landed they'd turned their attention to him, grabbing at whatever bit of him was closest. Bony fingers raked across his skin, petting and pulling and _pleading._

"Help me!"

"Mommy! Mommy I'm scarred!"

"No, please!"

"Save me!"

Not that he could actually understand a word of it. He may have been versed in many languages, but the fuck if he'd ever heard this one before. All he had to go by was the whiny, woe-is-me tone of voice being used and the creepy finger raping he was receiving to get the gist of it. And never one to go for being molested by a bunch of ghouls, he lashed out.

Their bones broke easily beneath his grip, their flesh tearing like old newspaper with the slightest of movement. They even _bled._ It was, in fact, much like fighting the souls inside himself. Impossible according to logic, yet still reality as far as he was concerned.

He grabbed onto the things crushing into him, using them to pull himself to his feet, biting and clawing the entire time. They even _tasted _like real live humans. That piqued his interest, the possibility that he'd somehow wound up inside another being like himself, even if the 'how' eluded him. It also made him wonder what would happen if he tried to eat them. After all, what was the worst that could happen? He'd get locked back inside himself with a couple extra souls to eliminate? Hardly a terrifying prospect.

He grabbed the one directly in front of him by the hair, forcing the man to bear his throat. He struck without hesitation, reveling in the feel of skin and tendons giving beneath his teeth, the rush of blood that flooded his mouth. Memories not his own bloomed behind his eyes and for a split second, he was someone else entirely.

The moment passed and the lifeless form fell to his feet, dissipating as it went until there was nothing left. He stared at the space it had occupied, momentarily oblivious to the horde around him as he digested the new information he'd gleaned from his victim.

"Amestris…"

The word felt peculiar on his tongue, both like and unlike any of the languages he'd ever known, ever spoken. The database of words, grammar, and sentence structure filed themselves neatly away into the black hole of his mind, sorting themselves alongside their counterparts for easy use and instant understanding. Other bits and pieces of received knowledge tucked themselves away for later use, adding to the immense stockpile of random knowledge that littered his mind.

He refocused his gaze, darting it up towards the poor souls who'd soon find themselves his next meal.

"Mommy help!"

"Why? Why is it so dark!"

"I'm scared, please! Someone! Anyone!"

The clamor of voices became understandable, his mind instantly translating every word, every cry for help into something concrete and relatable. It didn't hinder him a bit. He lunged, plunging arms through chests and teeth through throats, taking any and all who dared to touch him, to be near him. Still they came, crushing themselves in on him, holding him in relatively the same place he'd been in when he'd started.

There where millions of them, all it seemed, with the single-minded purpose of holding him in check.

His focus tunneled, the only thing on his mind the slaughter. He released the shadows inside him, choreographing an intricate (and in his mind) beautiful wave of destruction. Every soul he touched he consumed, all the while mindful to keep at least a subconscious grip on his own being, his own _reality._ He may not be overly fond of the place, but now that he was here(wherever here was) he'd be damned if he ended up back where he started.

"Oh god, why?"

"Make it stop, make it STOP!"

"_it's time to go home-"_

"_it's time to be free!"_

The tremor that passed through the void space ripped him from his hunt, his attention instantly expanding outward. The woman he held, dangling above the ground by the throat forgotten, her windpipe never fully making its way to being crushed.

A second wave hit, vibrating the ground beneath his feet with such intensity it seemed to momentarily disappear. It came from everywhere and nowhere so far as he could tell, rippling through everything with a peculiar intensity that seemed to weave around him, bypassing him in favor of the others.

A third and fourth wave hit, during which he was able, through the removing of a few more of his 'obstacles', take note of other peculiarities. For instance it did not, in fact, bypass just him, but others within his sights as well. All of whom, he was curious to note, looked oddly alike. He would have thought the earthquake racist had it not been for the fact that he clearly shared nothing in common with these people. Or did he? Just to make sure he grabbed one of the gold eyed blondes he'd seen unaffected and proceed to eat him. By the time the next wave of peculiar energy surged through the void, causing ripples in the dark recesses around him in an annoyingly familiar way, he'd ascertained that it was most definitely racist. Although what he had in common with the 'golden people of Xerxes' he still couldn't fathom.

The next wave that hit would have sent him to his knees had it not been for his inhuman reaction time(and the many bodies invading his personal space). The forms of all but the Xerxians wavered, becoming erratic and blurry. The peculiar darkness that encompassed the area rolled in and around itself, seeming to flee from a particular point he couldn't see. Despite all the motion it was eerily calm, and with the way all the hair was (once again) standing up all over his body, he half expected the giant eye to pop in for a rematch. Unfortunately for his somewhat bruised ego, that was not the case.

The ground beneath his feet pulsed, the mindless words spilling from the lips of the damned around him began to melt back towards their earlier indefinite whine, and the place took on a brilliant shade of crimson. He blinked incredulously at the color, realizing that it came from within and around the Amestrians.

Their skin was becoming translucent, a red glow clawing its way from beneath it as arcs of similarly red lightning spiked up and around them. The light show this created was spectacular, as if he'd set foot inside a thunderhead. It arched upwards, as if to punch a hole in the sky he couldn't quite see. A shower of sparks and then the lightning was racing back downwards to strike each and every one of it's playthings. The hits came simultaneously, the sheer force of their impact sending the place into utter chaos.

The flesh of the Amestrians exploded, revealing more of the same red and black wailing _things_ he'd first encountered. They swarmed, swept up in a windstorm only they were privy too. They where all he could see as they whipped past, buffeting him as they went round, the cyclone effect nearly lifting him off his feet.

He directed his attention upwards, towards where the lighting storm still raged. The things, the _souls_ he corrected, moved upwards in one fluid motion as if drawn to the electricity, blocking his view. Something shifted, he could feel it in the back of his mind, punctuated by the increased ascent of the souls.

Opening his third eye he was able to see the place where they where fleeing to, that is to say, the point at which they where disappearing. Arcs of energy raced away from the disturbance the souls created as they passed through the void, millions of them crashing through the oddly distorted barrier into freedom. Freedom he wanted, was determined to have.

He made to grab at the creatures with any means, but to no avail. His hands couldn't hold them, his shadows where rebuffed by some unseen force. He refocused his attentions upwards, shadows chasing the tail end of the soul storm. They were fast, but he managed to keep within a few inches of them, gaining ground little by little.

His attack hit seconds after the last of the souls had vanished, darkness colliding harshly into darkness. A few seconds of triumph followed closely by bitter defeat; The give he'd felt had only gained him a few inches into the barrier before crushing inwards, severing the bits of him that had come closest to freedom.

Enraged that it should dare deny him he pummeled the spot that moments before had been a gateway to freedom. His hits bounced off, sparking more red energy to dance above him. He pulled back, but his eyes still lingered on the space above him, calculating and furious.

He moved his gaze slowly downwards, following what he assumed to be the boundaries of the place until his eyes met gold. He frowned, having momentarily forgotten the Xerxians. There where a lot of them, millions if his rough estimates where right. Despite their numbers, there was undoubtedly more space to move around in. He was no longer being continually crowded, and he could spy a gap here and there.

He refocused on the void, intent now on freedom. If freedom was truly what lie in wait beyond those walls. He hadn't been able to see the fleeing souls' final destination, even with his third eye, something to be wary of.

With a calculating eye he scanned the entirety of the place, committing it to memory. Using his base estimates he summoned up the shadows inside him and sent them flying towards every inch of the stubborn surface, drawing on the darkness around him for good measure. Every hit and rebuff added on to his mental calculations, information he'd need if he were to come out on top. The arcs and sparks of scarlet energy bathed everything in a sinister glow, creating shadows that leapt and stuttered in time to his hits.

The Xerxians had failed to ignore his antics, turning and moving as one towards him, filling the empty spaces in seconds. Eyes and hair alight with fire they came at him, arms outstretched, ready to hold him, to bind him. Resembling ghouls now more than ever, awash in the hellish light he was orchestrating they grabbed at him, crushing their feeble bodies against his. He tried to swing out, to push them back, but there where too many too close together.

He could feel his hold on his powers diminishing, almost as if the strange not-humans where soaking it up. That thought, that _realization_ smashed into him like a bus on the autobahn, demanding his attention, demanding he react.

He leapt up and over his would-be jailers, using their skulls as stepping stones. He could still see intermittent arcs of lighting dancing off towards the outskirts of the mob below him, despite having halted his attacks. He moved towards this, both out of curiosity and a need to gain better ground.

Once within sight he noticed that the energy wasn't coming from the void walls, but going to it, coming instead from the souls nearest it. He dropped neatly, putting as much distance as possible between himself and his fellow captives. Those closest to him seemed to be glowing, as if their blood had become luminescent. Skin became transparent, arcs of red dancing along the surface of it to reach out and connect with the void wall. Their hair and eyes became dull, graying with each passing second. The once healthy looking bodies became emaciated, every bone prominent and jutting. They where ageing, dying, their life force being sucked away by the void. When they gave all they had, with one final wail dissipated, what had once been skin and bone became one final bolt of energy, absorbed by the uncaring blackness.

There also seemed to be some sort of pattern to it, though what it was exactly he wasn't too sure. All he could really tell was that it seemed to happen in groups, some larger, some smaller. Whatever this was, it was something controlled, and if his theory about being inside another being was correct, then these souls where being used. For what he wasn't sure, his knowledge limited to his own body and the void he had so recently just left. But if this was anything like what he himself did, then he knew one thing for certain: war was being waged. And whoever this was seemed to be doing a shitty job of it considering the amount of souls that where being used. Now, for instance, he watched as a group of 20 or so men and women instantly became bright red, then dissipated faster than all the others before them. Whatever it was that was happening on the outside, he wanted to _see,_ to be a part of it. He would show this fool how a _real_ Nosferatu did battle!

He spun on his heal to face the void, ignoring the souls and their damned lightning show. The strange substance before him moved as if alive, it's proximity making the curious feeling in the back of his mind all the more prominent. The strange power it emanated was crawling over his skin, invading his space as if it owned him, which it most certainly did not.

"You think you can hold me you piece of shit? Well I'm done playing captive! Prepare yourself mongrel, for the true power of a No Life King!"

He let the old familiar feeling of the controlling mechanisms and the subsequent powers they where guarding wash over him. He knew, had known since he'd re-awoken in fact, that wherever this place was, he was once again whole, once again the monster and servant of the Hellsing family that he'd been for over a hundred years. He was flesh, he was blood, he was _hell incarnate._

"Releasing Control Art Restriction Systems three…two…one, approval of situation A recognized. Commencing the Cromwell Invocation. Ability restrictions lifted for limited use until the enemy has been rendered_ silent_."

He felt the sweet, sweet shifting of the control mechanisms, the power they relinquished flooding through his veins. He embraced it, wrapping himself in it as it pushed and pulled at him, altering him to its desires. Every never ending was alight with the sensation of transformation; the feel of his usual suit and coat tightening to become the black leather jumper, even as his actual body expanded and shifted to become something else entirely.

A multitude of eyes opened amidst the shadows that had become apart of him, allowing him to see everything around him at once. He could feel the hair on his head moving in tune with the rest of his shadows, filled with power and gleefully awaiting whatever bloodshed was to come.

He shaped the shadows his body had become to suit his needs, both spiked tendrils and taloned hands issuing forth to strike and claw at the barrier. He was prepared for the inevitable retaliation of the souls as well, bringing forth his Hounds to maul, to _devour_, should they come too close. Had he still been in possession of his Jackal(or had bullets left in his Casull for that matter) he would have added it's firepower as well.

With every strike came arcs of energy to cancel out his efforts, with every soul his Hounds devoured two more came to take its place. But he was far from being deterred. In fact, he was just getting started. He altered the way in which his shadow hands worked, using them to catch hold of the strange substance that formed the barriers of the void, pulling, pushing, clawing, _ripping_ at it.

He sent his Baskerville's to attack the souls being used, curious to see if he could use the place's own power against it. Hounds larger than a man fell on them, jaws gaping, swallowing as much of the things in one bite as they could. More than a few found themselves swallowed whole, especially the smaller ones, _especially _the children. In fact he aimed for the youngest looking ones, knowing they had the most life force to give.

Sparks danced around the jaws of the familiars, and he could feel their energy inside of him as it bid for escape. He crushed it, capturing it and turning it to his destructive will, sending it forth with his shadows. He was exhilarated to see that using the place against itself had a greater affect, the give in the barrier slightly larger than what he'd managed on his own.

The material of the barrier began to positively dance, shifting and colliding with itself. He instinctively knew that it was about to change, to fight back. He continued his assault, watching and waiting for it to attack, to show more of it's true nature.

He could see indefinite shapes solidifying, forming from the material he was attacking. The things moved fluidly, exploding forth without warning. They were shadow hands, exactly like those that had pulled him into the eye within the door. He parried them with his own shadows, knocking them off course, severing them, grabbing and twisting; crushing, _pulling._

More came, from everywhere before him, and despite being knocked away continued on their quest. He waited eagerly for them to strike at him, to try to grab a hold of him and make him obey, but it never happened. Instead they zipped past him, darting around his familiars to latch onto the souls behind him. The part of him that was still somewhat humanoid frowned, although it was a frown just as toothy and gruesome as his gleefully manic grin. With the same speed and purpose they moved back towards their originating point, pulling their new captives with them.

He sent his Hounds after them, shadows attacking shadows. He managed to sever a few of the offending things, but as soon as he did, two more took its place, determined to have their way. Despite his efforts, his opponents managed to drag more than a few Xerxians to the barrier, where more of the shadow hands emerged, latching on at all angles and crushing their hostages inwards. They began to disappear, as if being eaten by the void itself. He gave up trying to stop the process, instead using it to try to worm his way into the barrier.

Rushing forward, he pushed his own shadows against the point where the men and women where being taken in, worming alongside them, latching on in an attempt to be pulled with. With his hands he grabbed onto the one closest to him, pushing forward while getting as close to the disappearing body as he could.

He could feel his shadows moving with the bodies, even as they disappeared.

The one he was holding was pulled through, his arms going with it. He crushed himself forward, eager to use this soul as his ride to the outside. He got as far as his shoulders before the once-malleable surface snapped back to its former impenetrability. A sickening crunch and he could no longer feel his appendages, the eerie aura of the thing tickling up and along the inside of his shoulder blades.

He moved back, surveying the stumps where his arms had been, taking note of the impeccably clean edges of the wounds before allowing his body to regenerate. Flexing his fingers, he surveyed the void and his fellow captives. Everything was as it had been before the strange hands had appeared, and he couldn't help but wonder just what those particular souls had been used for. It was a toss up; regenerating the void against his assault, or being summoned as familiars. He had a feeling it was the later, which only annoyed him more that his attempts to follow them to freedom had failed.

He lowered his arms, preparing to once again take his shadows upon himself, but had the thought removed from his mind when a horrific red light blinded the half of his eyes focused behind him. Before he could turn to see what the hell was going on now, he found himself slamming into the wall before him, a wave of energy exploding on and around him as it made its way forward.

His heart exploded, once, twice as his mind raced away from him faster than he could actually process. He felt more alive than he ever had, every particle within him singing as the maelstrom washed over him, invading every part of his being. And then it was gone, leaving him feeling empty, dead. His insides twanged with the sudden loss, his skin crawled horribly from his contact with the barrier, and for a moment he couldn't see, couldn't function at all in fact. He stayed where he was, allowing his senses and his mind to recover, focusing on the feel of the voids power on his skin, and the solidity of the barrier itself. As his mind recovered, he noticed something that had earlier escaped his attention: the tingling he felt from the barrier seemed to be some sort of magical _residue. _He latched onto it, dissecting it. What he found furthered both his recovery and his fury.

"You…FUCK…"

The words barely escaped his throat as he made to push himself up and away, to pull his powers around himself and regenerate his corneas. He shoved at the feelings in his bones and organs, smothered the crawling on his skin, fury fueling his body's swift remolding of shadows.

"How dare you feed on me! You pathetic excuse of a _thing_, you're not worthy of my power!"

The eyes along his body again snapped open, a snarl marring his face into something gruesome and wholly terrifying. Behind him he could see a vast number of Xerxians being consumed by the void, their life energy snapping and crackling as it passed him. The pace never halted, the lighting throwing about peculiar shadows that he planned to bend to his will. He was mindful to use his shadows to block the energy from hitting him as it passed however. That was something that didn't need a repeat performance.

He pitted all his force and energy against the void that dared to steal from him, ignoring the Xerxians for the most part. Those nearest him where too busy becoming a snack for this place to try to come stop him, so they where of little consequence to him. He fought with both shadows and his own body, punching, clawing, anything to tear the thing apart. Every piece he knocked away regenerated, inciting him to up his pace so it couldn't heal itself. He hit fast and hard, rewarded for his efforts with an ever increasing hole.

The pull on his powers shifted, as if it was being drawn farther than it had before, but he ignored it for the most part, simply upping his efforts to hinder the bond that seemed to exist between him and this cage. The feeling increased, and with it came another, one he'd felt before. The memory hit him, and just in time, for no sooner had he erected a barrier around himself than the tidal wave of energy crashed into him, sweeping past him, tearing at his defenses.

He stopped his assault, shifting his focus onto the energy encircling him. He opened his powers to it, latching on and drawing it within himself. He began to alter it, to swing it around himself and imbue his shadows within it. Around and around he swung it, adding his own power, his own fuel to it until he'd managed to create something far more powerful than anything the place had yet created on it's own.

He sent it forth, his shadows dancing with electricity that had darkened to the color of long-dead blood. The force with which it hit was tremendous, and seeing his opportunity he dashed forward, closing the gap between him and the void in a flash, arm up and ready to swing. There was no noise as his fist connected, the substance of his opponent had changed into something far less solid, sending his arm through straight up to his shoulder.

He swung with his other hand, and after getting the same result pulled himself forward by any means he could, shadows both latching onto the surface and sinking forward in search of new ground. Laughter exploded from his throat as his body sunk forward into the void, until none of the eyes on his body could see anything other than darkness. He was in, wholly and completely.

Whatever the substance he was in was, it moved around him, both trying to be rid of him, and crush him. He pushed outwards against it with the barrier still erected around him, using as little of his actual body to do the fighting as possible. The feeling of being leeched off had increased, and even with his defenses it managed to reach far inside him, hindering his abilities and slowing his progress.

With a snarl he drew his defenses against himself, altered them, then threw them back outwards as far as they would go. The feeling of being used left him, the dark matter pressing against him ripped apart, allowing him to move forwards towards what he could sense was the final barrier standing between him and freedom.

His fist connected solidly with what at first appeared to be the same material as what surrounded him. On further inspection, he noticed a few subtle difference, mainly being that this, whatever it was, wasn't moving in any way shape or form. Warmth radiated from it, he could feel the heat coming off it through his glove. And it was _vibrating, _as though someone or something was hitting it from the other side.

The thought crossed his mind that maybe he wasn't the only one pissed off at who or whatever the hell this place was, making his grin slightly more genuine, as opposed to just manic and homicidally gleeful. He pulled back slowly, collecting himself for one, hopefully final, attack.

"It's been fun, Piece of Shit Prison, but now I must take my leave."

He wrapped his shadows about his arm, moving all his strength into that one point, then struck. He felt it give, heard the crack as it caved outwards. He pulled back, preparing to hit again.

"_Open Sesame!"_

This time, when his fist landed, it went through; he felt the jagged edges of the barrier catch at his hand, then arm. Beyond, the heat intensified, feeling akin to sinking his arm into the abdomen of a human, a feeling that lasted only briefly before he felt something he hadn't felt in ages: moving air. He'd been right, freedom was what lay beyond.

He attacked the now weakened and crumbling barrier with his familiars, both Hounds and hands getting in on the final act. A few good hits and it collapsed, revealing a familiar wall of red and black not-people, writhing and silently wailing. Only this time they where spread thin, weak, one final barrier between the outside world and himself.

Gazing into the unseeing eyes before him, he opened his mouth and laughed, right in it's would-be face. In Amestrian he bid the thing farewell, then promptly began dismantling it, and its fellows with his shadows, all the while pushing himself towards freedom.

* * *

a/n: The way in which I wanted to write this chapter changed more than a few times, especially when I decided that I wanted everything happening inside of Father, where Alucard is, to correspond with everything that's happening to Father himself. (basically I watched ep. 61, 62, and 63 of brotherhood to organize and come up with wtf Alucard was going to go through as he tries to escape.) Next chapter will bring the FMA characters into play, and the subsequant storyline deviation I'm planning.

See you then!

super-special-awesome-heartz,

deadpan riot

and yes, I did just say 'super-special-awesome-heartz'. You needn't worry, you're not going crazy. I'm just being a weird-ass.


	3. Meeting God

Summary: Father comes face to face with 'God', only to find the being isn't what he expected.

**a/n: **I wrote this from **Ed's perspective. **

Because this is taking place in Amestris, the main language being spoken isn't English. However, Alucard can't always be bothered to 'go with the flow' as they say, and so:

"_'Anything written like this'_" is English (which will be predominately the language Alucard lapses into. He's spent a century serving an English family, and I'm going with the theory that it's become a sort of habit to use their language without really thinking about it)

Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Meeting God

* * *

"He did it!"  
"We won, we won!"  
The triumphant cries of the Briggs soldiers filled the air. Edward Elric had delivered a devastating uppercut that had knocked Father off his feet, landing him square on his back in the middle of the destroyed courtyard. He wasn't moving, and as far as they could tell, it was over, they had finally won.

The young alchemist however, looked far from triumphant. His golden eyes were wary, his posture only slightly loosening. '_Too easy_. _After everything he's taken up till now, there's no way this is the end of it.'_Gaze never wavering from the prone man at his feet, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, waited.

Seconds later his fears were confirmed, the energy around father pulsed, and his eyes snapped open. Ed pulled himself back into full fighting stance, the gathered soldiers and alchemists falling silent. The homunculus's mouth opened, a horrible inhuman noise tearing from his throat. Red sparks of alchemic energy appeared around him, covering his body and the immediate area around him. His abdomen contorted and the energy arcs grew in size.

"No!"

The word escaped around the noises erupting from Father's throat, desperate, horrified. A wave of alchemic energy exploded forth from the homunculus, so bright it forced Ed to throw up his arms to shield his eyes. When the light had lessened to a bearable amount he lowered his arms, only to gasp in horror at what he saw. Jutting forth from the center of father's abdomen, reaching towards the sky, was an _arm._ The pristine white glove it was sporting contrasted sharply against the inky blackness of the sleeve, which, he realized, was _moving._

Ed blinked, looking harder at the strange sight before him. There was movement, yes, but it wasn't actually the sleeve doing it. _'Shadows? Does that mean that Pride somehow-no. Whatever this is, it's not pride. It's…'_ His eyes widened as realization hit him. The thing that Father had trapped inside himself, that had been fighting for freedom was-"God?" He didn't even realize the word had left his mouth, so transfixed was he on the swaying tendrils of shadows. They moved idly for a moment, as if gaining their bearings whilst awaiting their counterpart's next move. Wave after wave of emotion slammed into him as he realized what it was he was looking at. _The arm of God._

The momentary silence of the courtyard was broken by the chorus of gasps and exclamations from the gathered men and women as they saw the new development. He wondered how many of them had come to the same realization he had.

Setting his jaw and more firmly planting his feet, Ed brought his arms back up into a fighting stance. God or not, it wouldn't due to be unprepared and leave himself open like a fool. _'Especially if this IS God. There's no telling what he'll do once he's free. __Especially__ if I decide not to buy into that whole 'The Benevolence of God' thing.'_

Father's wailing returned, increasing in pitch as the arm came down, fast and hard, to land on the concrete. From where Ed was, he could see new cracks and breaks appear on the already abused surface as the palm made contact. The fingers pulled inwards, as if to better grip the hard surface, leaving indents in their wake. The tendrils of darkness expanded, creeping slowly along the ground. As they did so the whole of the appendage was seemingly released from their encasement, making it look inhumanly long and thin.

Father was still wailing and writhing, but Ed's attention was fixed solely on the thing that was slowly pulling its way from inside the homunculus. A shoulder emerged, sparks of oddly darkened alchemic lightning dancing around it. The flesh entrapping the being bulged and stretched to accommodate the passing of a head, face obscured by a curtain of unruly black hair that fell, longer than even Olivier's, to pool on and around the pale body of the homunculus.

More shadows emerged from the wound with their master, rising above him and shaping themselves into mock-arms. Flexing their fingers, they shot away from their creator with startling speed. The Briggs soldiers on the left and right of the prone figures threw themselves to the ground as the shadow-arms swept towards them, stretching out impossibly far as they gained purchase on bits and pieces of the still standing buildings. The things had become impossibly long and only barely proportionate, more shadows spilling out to pool around their originating point. They heaved and pulled as one, stone crumbling and cracking beneath their grasp as the creature continued his bid for freedom.

Once he'd managed to pull his other shoulder out there was a sickening noise as flesh was ripped and would-be blood splattered the ground. The newly torn-free arm touched down forcibly on it's respective side of Father's body, concrete giving under its grip. Slowly a chest and torso made their appearance, bringing with them shadows and bastardized alchemic energy.

Ed took a step back, terror gripping him as the peculiar properties of the being's alchemy washed over him. Ever since the Alkahestry circle had been activated to counter Father's alchemic transmutation circle, he'd been able to sense alchemic energy to some degree; to pick it apart and understand it's underlying purpose. What he was feeling now, however, only just barely fit into the 'alchemy' category. It felt off, _wrong._ '_He's stolen the souls inside Father and changed them, taken their life force and warped it …'_

The Fullmetal Alchemist's eyes widened as he watched the being wrench his body upwards, supported by another score of shadow hands that had taken the place of his flesh and blood ones on the concrete. Within seconds he'd managed to free both his legs, stumbling slightly as his feet made contact with the ground. Ed wasn't fooled by the act of clumsiness, he could see in the creature's posture a strength and sureness that only added to his wariness. Whoever this was, he was deadly.

As the man's posture straightened (for Ed was definitely sure now it was a man), the arms reeled themselves back in, loosing their shape until they where indefinite tendrils snaking here and there around their master. The head came up, hair parting to reveal a pair of luminescent red eyes. Ed drew in a sharp breath, remembering the similar way Father's eyes had glowed as he'd appeared behind Hohenheim. This man, whatever he was, be it God or otherwise, was the thing Father had sacrificed the whole of Amestris for. And now he'd managed to break free.

A gust of wind blew through the desecrated courtyard, covering up the soft sounds coming from Father. The black haired man lifted his head into the breeze, eyes sliding shut as the gusts buffeted his hair and brushed against his pale skin. His shadows dissipated further until they where just a vague outline about his legs. Ed knew this would have been a perfect opening for an attack, but uncertainty stopped him. He had no idea who the man was, therefore no clue as to his capabilities or his intentions. Just because the man scared the fuck out of him didn't necessarily mean he was an enemy. After all, more than a few of his allies had incited feelings of terror when he'd first met them.

The cloud passed from in front of the sun, letting it's rays wash over central. The light touched the black clad man, his eyes opening into slits as a frown moved smoothly onto his lips. His head lowered, allowing his hair to sweep forward and throw his face into shadow. The forearm of the man lifted, and for a moment he seemed to be watching his fingers as he flexed them, most likely lost in thought if his relaxed posture was anything to go by. Ed frowned. The man didn't even seem to realize he was standing not 10 feet from him, or that he was surrounded on all sides.

"Stone…Philosopher's Stone….Need….God."

The strangely dressed man snapped out of whatever trance he'd fallen into, head lifting just enough for Ed to once again be able to see his face. Red eyes widened slightly, sliding sideways at the sound of the homunculus's words. Slowly he turned, leather jumper creaking slightly as first his upper body, then the rest of him shifted. He'd altered his stance just enough to be able to look around at the blonde haired man at his feet, seemingly noticing him for the first time. Something Ed wasn't sure if he should find comical, or just plain weird, considering he'd just crawled out of the guy's stomach.

Father's eyes shifted upwards to meet those of his so-called God. "Why? Why would you not accept being a part of me?" The voice was laced with both fury and utter despair, the veined face twisted up into something unreadable.

The creature tilted it's head slightly to the side, cocking an eyebrow. "Why would I?"

The sound of the man's voice startled Ed; Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't a deadpan tone in a cultured, if slightly accented, voice.

Father's face became momentarily expressionless, before it contorted with anger. He opened his mouth to retaliate, but the dark haired man cut him off.

"You imprison me, set your ghouls on me, _leech _off of me, and then dare to ask why I could not accept you?" Anger had crept into his tone as he spoke, lips curling into something resembling a snarl.

"I wanted to become a perfect being!"

'God' laughed, a sound that sent chills up Ed's, and everyone else's, spine. No one moved to act, all transfixed on the scene before them.

"'A perfect being'?" More laughter.

"What's so funny about wanting to know everything in the world? To know what Gods knows? Why then should I not take God into me?"

The laughter stopped, a frown taking it's place. "'God'?"

"Yes!" Father shifted, attempting to get to his feet now that the gaping hole in his torso had healed.

Red eyes surveyed the homunculus incredulously for a moment, before narrowing. "'_You believe me to be God?'"_

Father frowned, not understanding the language the man before him had spoken in.

Soft, humorless laughter echoed in the silence. "You're a fool."

The homunculus's golden eyes widened and he took a faltering step backwards. "Fool? You…think I'm a fool?" Fury and indignation crept into Father's face and tone. "How can you be God and think I'm a fool?"

The laughter faded away, and the crimson eyed monster smiled devilishly. "Who ever said _I _was _God_?"

Eyes widening so far it was almost comical, the scantily clad man took another step backwards. "You're, You're not….God?"

"I am many things, but your so-called 'God' is not one of them."

"But I summoned you! I pulled you down from the Gate in the Heavens and took you inside myself! You _must_ be God!"

The dark haired man brought his hands up in a 'what-can-I-say' sort of gesture, grin never leaving his lips. "Believe me to be God all you want, I do not mind." The look on his face grew sly, an air of mockery about him. "Perhaps if you believe hard enough, it will become true."

Father's lips pulled back in a snarl, the veins on his face and neck more prominent than ever. "God or not, I summoned you, I brought you to myself; you are mine-" The homunculus raised his hand, red arcs of energy dancing off of his fingertips. "And now, you will return to me." The arcs leapt from his hand, twisting themselves through the air to latch onto the other man.

Instead of the pained cries Ed had expected, the black-clad man _laughed._ "You think this is going to get me back inside that hellhole? You're an even bigger fool than I thought!"

Father's eyes narrowed. "If you will not be brought back inside me, then I will at least take your philosophers stone."

Ed's eyes widened, immediately jumping to the laughing man. _'A philosophers stone? Just who IS this guy?'_

"Oh?" Not-God made a tsk-ing noise. "I didn't think you a man of empty threats."

"What do you mean 'empty threats'?"

"I do not have a philosophers stone."

Father looked bewildered for a moment, on the verge of voicing his confusion, but was again cut off.

"If that is all you are capable of, then I see why you run through your lives so quickly. You aren't worth the power you bare, whatever you are, and you're certainly not worth mine." As he'd spoken, the shadows lurking around his feet had come forth, effectively cutting off Father's attack. The next instance they were racing towards the homunculus, slamming into the barrier he created around himself.

The barrier held, although it was obvious to Ed that the barrage of hits were strong, maybe as strong as the ones he'd landed with alchemy. Although it was clear to him that the man's shadow manipulation was not, unlike Pride's, alchemy.

Without warning hands appeared beneath Father, cutting upwards and catching him off guard. It seemed that while the homunculus had been distracted by the more obvious, direct hits, the dark haired man had sent his familiars snaking along the ground to launch a surprise attack. A few dozen souls made their escape from the wound the hit had caused before it'd managed to seal itself. All the while the shadows had continued their assault, forcing Father to dodge rather than deflect.

"How pathetic, one little scratch and I've managed to take a dozen of your lives."

Ed thought that was a bit of an exaggeration, considering the 'scratch' had gone from thigh to shoulder, probably hitting more than a few vital spots.

Wound healed, Father came to a halt, again raising his protective barrier. The two men stood, now face to face, parallel Ed. During the whole of the exchange the dark haired man hadn't moved, only now adjusting himself slightly to face his opponent. Their profiles now put into proper prospective to Ed, he found himself somewhat unnerved by how tall and thin the new man was. Even with the all black outfit, Ed could tell that the lean muscles stood out more than they should have on his frame.

Ed was brought back to the fight when he felt a now all too familiar shift in the air, and when he looked back over to Father, could only watch as he loosed a sphere of energy at the man he'd once believed to be God. The tendrils of shadows where disintegrated, and Edward watched aghast as the attack hit it's grinning target. _'He didn't even TRY to defend himself, hell, he didn't even move!' _

When the light from the attack had faded, all that remained was a pile of gore, and a few scorch marks. Ed stared dumbfounded, eyes locking onto a clump of black hair sticking out of the mess. He just couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that a man who'd clawed his way from the stomach of a homunculus had been destroyed, just like that.

He'd been so distracted by the sudden turn of events that Ed didn't realized that Father had turned his sights on him; didn't hear the warning cries of his friends as the homunculus came up before him, didn't see the arm that shot out to grasp him until he felt the hand closing on his neck. His brain snapped back to attention, eyes removing themselves from their previous fixation to lock onto his attacker's. They where the same color as his, as his fathers, but there was nothing human there.

The homunculus lifted him, the strain that gravity and his own weight put on his windpipe making him gasp, struggling to breath. "And now, Edward Elric, I will make you apart of my Philosophers Stone."

* * *

a/n: I know, cliffhanger. I should have the next chapter up soon, since it's already half written.

See you then!

deadpan riot


	4. Father's Finale'

a/n1:Well here it is, the final half of the battle against Father. Remember, all spelling/grammar fail is on me, as well as the alteration to the FMAverse that is to come. Remember, I have a hidden agenda, so everything has a meaning, all weirdness has an underlying reason, etc, etc. Some shit may be subtle, some less so, but before you go all 'OMG THAT'S SLIGHTLY OOC' or whatever, remember what I just said. This is for the entire story, and my reason for typing that will become more obvious once the character's interact more. but don't worry, there won't be any MPD or DID or whatever damn acronym they're using these days...

a/n2: This is in **Eds perspective.**

Because this is taking place in Amestris, the main language being spoken isn't English. However, Alucard can't always be bothered to 'go with the flow' as they say, and so:

"_'Anything written like this'_" is English

'_anything like this' _is the character's thoughts

And here we go!

**Previously:  
**_He'd been so distracted by the sudden turn of events that Ed didn't realized that Father had turned his sights on him; didn't hear the warning cries of his friends as the homunculus came up before him, didn't see the arm that shot out to grasp him until he felt the hand closing on his neck. His brain snapped back to attention, eyes removing themselves from their previous fixation to lock onto his attacker's. They where the same color as his, as his fathers, but there was nothing human there._

_The homunculus lifted him, the strain that gravity and his own weight put on his windpipe making him gasp, struggling to breath. "And now, Edward Elric, I will make you apart of my Philosophers Stone."_

Chapter 4:Father's Finale'

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For the second time that day red energy sparked around him, drawing his life slowly, painfully, away from him. Between the pressure on his throat and the pain that reached to his very soul, Edward Elric was helpless. He struggled futilely, but the movement only caused more pain, more pressure to try to breath around. In a last ditch attempt he clapped his hands together, but he couldn't focus, couldn't form the mental array he needed. He kicked out blindly with his automail leg, felt it connect, but nothing changed. '_No, I can't die, I CAN'T! I have to bring back Al, I have to-' _His barely coherent train of thought was cut off as his body hit the ground. Gasping for air, he blinked, attempting to get his eyes to stop watering.

"You shouldn't beat up little kids, daddy-sir!"

Ed's temper flared, having regained enough of his sense to realize he was being insulted. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COU-" Ed's rant was cut short as his voice cracked, broke, and decided to lodge itself in his throat. He coughed, attempting to get his windpipe to work properly again.

"Save your rant and get off your ass kid, just because I kept you from becoming a part of dear old dad doesn't mean I'm going to do all your fighting for you!"

Climbing to his feet, Ed shook off the last of the brain-fog and took off towards where Greed was dancing and ducking around Father, who was currently trying to take back his philosophers stone. "What, you don't want all the glory for yourself, Greed?" He ducked around Greed, parrying an attack from father before swinging a few of his own, favoring his left now that his right was no longer automail.

Greed laughed, using Ed as a distraction before ducking around behind Father to smack him squarely in the back. "Of course I do! I'm Greed the Avaricio-" He was cut off by a blast of energy from Father, catching him off guard and throwing both him and Ed away.

Ed blinked, spots dancing in his eyes and messing with his vision. He'd managed to take the brunt of the hit in the face.

Father moved swiftly towards Ed who was still more or less directly in front of him, much to the alchemist's displeasure. '_Damn, he's still coming strong. He must have absorbed more energy than I thought from that 'God' guy.' _Ed slapped his hands together, smacking them to the ground to send a barrage of stone columns at the approaching man.

Instead of summoning his defenses, Father ducked around the attacks, closing the distance between them. Ed changed his tactics, summoning instead a wicked-bladed spear just in time to counter-attack the hand making its way to his throat. A quick slice upwards and said hand was no longer attached to the man wielding it. Souls rushed from the wound, but Father, desperate, took little heed. Before Ed could bring the weapon about, Father's remaining hand was on his face. Blood erupted from his nose as the palm smashed into it, forehead and cheeks stinging where nails bit into them.

A dark blur caught the alchemist's eyes, and before he felt Father stumble against him, caught a glimpse of Greed as he moved to intervene. To his dismay, however, he realized that Father had not, in fact, forgotten about his 'son', but had been expecting his attack.

"Insolent son, why must you defy me?"

Greed's face came into view, lifted off his feet by the newly regenerated hand at his throat. He was grinning in that way that was uniquely him. He may have had Ling's face, Ling's body, but that expression was one that Ed had come to associate with Greed.

"Call it a delayed rebellious phase, daddy-sir."

Ed, seeing his chance, positioned the spear and thrust as hard as he could. He felt it hit, felt both the give and resistance as the blade sunk into the lead homunculus's flesh.

Father jerked, twisting himself so the shaft was wrenched from Ed's hands. In nearly the same movement, father threw Greed away from himself, sending the homunculus flying into Major Armstrong, who'd been moving to come to their aid.

Still holding tightly onto Ed's face, Father used his free hand to remove the weapon from his side, releasing more of his souls as he did. The wound began to knit itself as father dropped the spear unceremoniously to the ground. His now free hand moved towards Ed, fury and malice burning in his eyes. "Now, you _will_ become a part of me, Fullmetal alchemist." The hand never made it to it's destination.

Ed's brain registered what he was seeing, but couldn't believe it. _'No, it can't be, I saw him die! He was nothing but a pile of blood and guts!'_ Wrapped around Father's arm was a tendril of shadow, holding it back and away from the blonde haired youth.

Father's eyes widened as he too registered what was holding him, eyes moving towards it's originating point. Ed couldn't see what Father was looking at, but by the widening of his eyes and the shock on his face he knew it was something good. Or bad, depending on how you looked at it.

Before Ed could make use of the homunculus's distraction, a streak of darkness cut across his vision and he was stumbling backwards. He unconsciously shook his head, dislodging the hand from his face. To his shock it fell to the ground, severed. He looked up. Father had turned from him, one hand slowly regenerating, one arm still held fast by shadows. Ed swept his gaze along the length of the things, coming to rest on their origin.

Where the remains of the dark haired man had been were shadows, moving and growing in strange and impossible ways. Ed strained his eyes in an attempt to make sense of what he was seeing, and noticed that some of the shadows on the ground didn't really look all that shadow-y. '_Is that…blood?'_ He swept his gaze around the ground and was stunned to see the tail ends of streams of the stuff, all seeming to be moving towards the mass of shadows.

Making sure Father was still occupied, Ed cast a glance over towards his friends. They were watching the exchange with wide, incredulous eyes, occasionally exchanging nervous glances. His eyes roamed until they found Greed and Armstrong. He noted that Greed seemed to be the only one who looked pleasantly surprised. The homunculus's purple eyes snapped to his, surprise smoothly leaving his face to be replaced with his trademark grin.

Flashing his companion a smirk, he turned his attention back to the fight.

The cluster of shadows had grown, reaching upwards and swirling remarkably fast. Before his eyes a shape began to appear, flickering with the movement of the cyclone it was in the center of. It wasn't long before he realized that the shape was humanoid, and it wasn't long after that before the glowing red eyes removed any doubt as to who it was.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food? Or is one little kid too much for you to handle, you pathetic excuse for a monster?" The voice was harsher, the accent thicker, but the mockery was unchanged, if a little less subtle.

Shadows fell away from the man's upper body, revealing his face. Ed wasn't sure if he was grinning or sneering.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO TINY HE COULD GET LOST IN A FIELD OF DANDELIONS?"

Crimson eyes shifted just enough to look at him, eyebrow cocking slightly before returning his attention to the homunculus he had a hold of.

"How…How are you still alive? Your body was destroyed, your souls should have left you!"

This time the quirked eyebrow was aimed at Father. "You have not killed me enough. For all the souls within me to be destroyed, so too must I die for every life."

Ed frowned. _'Sounds painful.' _

Father frowned, jerking his captured arm backwards as best he could. "How many times must I kill you then? How many deaths must God suffer before he is at his end?"

The grin on the dark haired man grew substantially, becoming manic. The darkness about him moved, coming up and around him, and all at once dozens of crimson colored eyes snapped open. They were of varying sizes, and more than a few seemed to be not in the shadows, but on the man himself; namely the large one in the center of his chest.

"All of them." As he spoke his form twisted, his body losing shape as it was consumed by the roiling shadows. The misshapen mass moved, eyes staring eerily at the homunculus. It was fast, and as it moved it began to take shape. Hounds appeared, their gaping maws large, their eyes many, moving in and out of sight as they ran amongst that which birthed them.

The ground before Father erupted, severing the thing holding his arm and effectively putting a massive wall between him and his attacker. They didn't have to wait long to see how this would effect the monster on the other side. Hounds ran through the wall as if it where nothing, their passing leaving no obvious mark on the thing. The homunculus was caught off guard by this, having expected like everyone else present, that the things would have to find some way around it. He moved just in time to avoid the jaws of the first beast, but the others where right behind it. They rushed him, snapping at whatever piece of him was closest. More pieces of the ground where wrenched upwards by Father's will, but they had little effect on the beasts made of shadow. He changed tactics, realizing it was futile to attack the extensions, instead aiming for the inner-core of blackness.

Spikes erupted forth to stab directly within the mass, and to everyone's shock, halted it. By some insane chance, Father had managed to pierce the monster through the heart.

The shadows ebbed away, slowly drifting down and away from the menacing thing they had been, revealing a body that had seemingly formed around the weapon. It was held up by the angle of the spike, driven straight through it to hang limply, legs bent, head lolling. Even from his particular angle, Ed could see the eyes where open, a grin still plastered to the face. The eerie lighting of the sun through the clouds made the scene look like something you'd find in an old book of religious war, the monster impaled righteously in the glow of god.

Father moved towards his handiwork, albeit cautiously. The black clad man had already proven once he wasn't so easily dispatched.

Ed made to move forward, to attack, but stopped at the firm grip suddenly on his shoulder. He looked first at the hand, then it's owner, the sudden movement making him dizzier than it should have. Greed. Violet eyes locked onto his, then looked pointedly lower. Ed blinked, confused for a moment before his brain made the connection . He raised a hand to his nose and winced. _'Damn it, broken.' _the blood flow hadn't ceased either. Which would explain the sudden dizziness.

Greed moved around him before he could form some sort of protest. He didn't have to. The homunculus stopped shoulder to shoulder with him, trademark grin faltering for a moment, eyes far away for no more than a split second before sharpening. The grin came back stronger than ever.

Ed followed his companions gaze, confused.

The last strand of sunlight left the horror-movie scene before them, wind picking up as if it had been waiting for the sun to once again hide it's face. Father now stood not a foot from his opponent, impaled as he was, expression unreadable. It was an image that was to be forever burned into Edward's memory, the conqueror and the conquered; for some reason he would always think back on that scene and be reminded of the eternal struggle of the Sun and the Moon as they fought for the right to the sky.

But right at that precise moment of silence, it looked more to him like the precipice of coming violence.

A pale hand shot forward, latching onto Father's face much the same way that the homunculus's had grabbed onto Ed's. Father's body jerked backwards, but he was held in place by the strength being exerted on him.

Laughter bubbled upwards from the chest of the impaled creature, a dark note hiding behind it's mirth and lightness.

"'_Got you!'"_

The dark head came up, laughter transitioning into a low hum of what sounded both like content, and disapproval.

"'_How pathetically easy. And you would call yourself a perfect being, you idiotic piece of shit? You can't even tell if I'm alive or dead. Not-'" _A monstrous grin punctuated the foreign words. "'_that there's much of a difference.'"_

With a slow, easy grace that didn't quite fit in with the situation, the impaled man regained his footing, sliding effortlessly through the spike that had been holding him up. Shadows swayed around the places where the concrete disappeared as their master phased through it, no obvious wounds marring his visage. Even his clothing was intact.

Freed, 'Not-God' stood mere inches from Father, looking down at him with eerily glowing eyes. Shadows crept along the arm holding Father in place, tendrils snaking down to caress the homunculus in mock tenderness.

As Ed watched, the taller man brought his other hand up, altering his grip until he had Father's face cradled in his hands. Although by the way Father seemed to be struggling, it was anything but a gentle grip.

The shadows continued their movement until they'd wound themselves around the homunculus's body, sparks of alchemic energy appearing at their touch.

Lowering his head until they were practically nose to nose, the maniacal look softened into one of passive seriousness as the pale man observed his opponent. His lips moved, forming words for only Father to hear.

The homunculus went ridged, hands slowly balling into fists, his body beginning to tremble with an emotion Ed couldn't read. His alchemy sparked brighter, but the shadows wrapped around him thwarted it, for the most part, his intended target ignoring what little managed to get past.

A mocking curl of the lip and the dark head moved back a bit, a deep, sadistic chuckle resonating somewhere inside him.

Seeing his alchemy wasn't having the desired effect, Father swung his fist squarely into the side of Not-God's head, once, twice, three times before it had the desired effect. The hands holding him loosened enough that he was able to wrench himself free, the man's nails leaving jagged marks along his face.

Father swing again, only to find that instead of connecting with skull, he's met with an iron grip. The pale hand squeezed, the sound of his finger bones cracking as they break reaching Ed's ears. The dark sleeved arm yanked backwards, jolting Father forward, the homunculus only barely catching himself from crashing into the taller man.

The glowing red eyes opened wide as a horrific grin conquered the pale face, predatory to a tee. Within seconds Father was flying backwards, thrown just as efficiently and ruthlessly as he'd been pulled.

His body twisted in the air, landing the homunculus roughly on his front at Ed and Greed's feet. He'd managed to soften the blow with his arms, but only after he'd managed to take the brunt of it in the face. Father jerkily lifted his head, gaze moving unfocusedly along the ground before landing on their feet. He was close enough for Ed to see his pupils contract as he regained focus, as well as the damage the concrete had inflicted on his features.

Despite his seemingly dazed state (which had Ed unwittingly lowering his guard) Father reached out with amazing speed. Ed jumped visibly as the fingers managed to catch hold of his pant's leg. Before either he or Greed could react violently in protest, Father was tugged unceremoniously backwards, the sound of his flesh scraping and ripping against the concrete just barely audible.

Ed's gaze snapped from the hand, that had moments before had a hold of him, to the homunculus in his entirety. Wrapped snugly around one of Father's legs was a tendril of shadow. Looking back towards the enemy of his enemy, Ed couldn't help but note how calm the man looked. Ignoring, of course, the predatory grin still firmly in place.

Father was pulled painstakingly slow back towards where he'd been standing moments ago. The homunculus struggled for a moment before twisting around, flipping himself onto his back to face his attacker. Crimson eyes locked onto his golden ones, the predators final message to his prey. '_You've lost. You're dead. You're MINE._' Ed's mind filled in for him unabashedly.

Father seemed to be having similar thoughts, struggling violently. It was no use, he was caught. His will snapped. "What are you….if not God, _what are you? Answer me!"_

Crimson eyes narrowed, grin becoming slightly less homicidal, and far more predatory because of it. A multitude of words issued from his lips, none of which Ed understood. The volume rose somewhat as he switched back to Amestrian, as if including everyone present in his answer.

"I am Death, I am Life, I am _'Nosferatu'_; The No Life King, the Bird of Hermes!" As he'd spoken, the shadows sitting idly at his feet had come to life, once again swallowing him in there depths.

The mass shifted, and again hounds burst forth, tearing towards the prone homunculus. Father managed to free himself, but not fast enough. Very real teeth tore into his flesh, ripping off chunks of whatever body part they managed to get a hold of. He managed to throw himself backwards, mere feet from Ed and Greed who looked on in silence.

Ed felt the prickling on his skin that signaled Father again raising his defensive shield. The hounds seemed to sense it too, collapsing back into an indefinable mass and reforming without breaking stride. From the cloud of black burst forth a single, massive thing: the head and forelegs of a many eyed dog, bigger than a man with a grin like a shark. The mouth opened, jaws crashing into the barrier, weakening it. Without missing a beat, an arm shot forward from the maw of the thing, and in a flash it was over. It took Ed's brain a second to realize what he'd just seen, what he was _seeing._

The barrier around Father had broken, allowing for the final blow to be struck. The arm had impaled itself straight through where the homunculus's heart would have been, white glove as pristine as ever in spite of it.

The shadows fell away, revealing the man that was behind the monster. He took a step back, straightening up and pulling his arm free in one fluid motion.

In the second before the last of Father's souls made their escape, Ed could see straight through the gaping wound in his chest.

The homunculus stumbled with the force of his captives' departure, soul's tearing off towards the heavens. They were gone almost as quickly as they'd come, leaving behind the gaping hole in Father's chest he no longer had the power to heal.

Through the whole thing the Nosferatu had watched in silence, eyes following the trail of souls up into the sky. Even after they'd disappeared from sight his gaze remained skywards, a curious look on his face.

Father raised a hand to the un-healing wound. "My stone…My Philosophers Stone…"

A sudden bout of laughter exploded into the awed silence of the courtyard. "Is that what you were going on about? Those things were your precise stone?" Red eyes were again earthbound, staring at the homunculus in amusement. "How…._interesting."_

Father took a step back, head swinging from side to side as he took in all the people around him. "Stone, stone…Philosophers stone…." He turned to look back at Ed and Greed, eyes wild. Without missing a beat, Ed stepped forward and introduced his fist to Father's jaw. The hit sent the man tumbling backwards to land gracelessly on his ass.

Greed cracked his knuckles, violet eyes fixed on the defeated man before them. "Looks like you've lost, daddy-sir. Why don't you do the honorable thing and let your last remaining son outlive you?" There was both laughter and malice in his words, in the casual way he stepped towards the prone man.

Father's eyes widened, scrambling backwards like a retarded crab. "No! Greed, don-" His voice died as his back made contact with something solid. Slowly his head turned to look up at what he'd run into. His terror was apparent as he looked up into the grinning face of the Nosferatu. The homunculus threw himself away from the legs his back had been resting against, just barely managing to gain his feet before finding himself again on the ground. The Nosferatu had grabbed a handful of his hair, yanking backwards as you would the leash of a dog. Father struggled against the fingers tightening around the golden stands, uncaring of the hair being ripped from his scalp.

Greed continued to move towards Father until he was standing before him. Ed however, wasn't too sure if he wanted to get that close to the Nosferatu just yet. Instead he moved slightly to the right as Greed crouched down, eye level with the other homunculus. By now Father's eyes were so large it was hard to tell if he had pupils or not. Greed opened his mouth, but before the taunt could escape, Father kicked him in the jaw, ripped himself away from the grip on his hair, and managed to scramble off towards the side.

The dark haired man chuckled, lifting his fist to show off the impressive amount of hair he'd come away with before loosening his fingers and letting the wind claim his prize. "Still willing to fight hm? Marvelous!" He took a step forward, shadows swirling around his feet, then stopped. His head tilted slightly to the side, eyes moving to the hole in the golden haired man's chest.

Tiny shadow hands where slithering forth from the wound, gaining in length with every second. "What…What is this?" Father made to swat at the things, only to have one latch onto his arm. His head swiveled up to look at the Nosferatu. "What are you doing?"

The answer was punctuated with an annoyed noise. "Nothing, fool. If it where me, you would know it." A cocky smile momentarily graced his lips.

By now the hands had hold of both of Father's arms, pulling them towards the hole in his chest. Two more grabbed at one of his legs, then the other. They too were pulled towards the gaping wound, beginning to disappear inside of it. The hands grabbed at his head, forcing it down towards his chest. "Why….Why? I just wanted to know everything in the world, without being bound by anything! I just wanted to be free! Make it stop!"

Ed felt anger bubble up inside him. _'After everything he's done, he wants us to save him?' _He stared hard at the homunculus, waited for their eyes to meet before answering him. "Go back to wherever you came from, Dwarf in the Flask Homunculus." He managed to restrain himself from yelling, but the anger was evident in his voice.

Father wailed as he was pulled inside himself, his head the only part of him still free. "Please, I-" He was cut off as his head was forcibly shoved into the void that was sucking him in. With one final wave of alchemic energy, he was gone. The only trace left the energy burns on the concrete where he'd been moments before.

"Ha! What a fool, all that power and he couldn't even take on a bunch of humans! What a pathetic end." With a flick of Ling's hair, Greed spun about on the balls of his feet and moved off towards Lan Fan and the rest of their companions.

"Greed, where are you going?" Ed called after the homunculus, instinct telling him his friend was about to disappear once again.

Greed waved a hand flippantly over his shoulder. "Relax kid, you worry too much."

Ed scowled. "Kid? WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO TINY HE COULD BE CRUSHED BY A GRAIN OF SALT?"

Greed laughed, but refrained from provoking the alchemist.

Ed turned away from him, crossing his arms irritably. '_Damn Greed…I am NOT short.'_ He grumbled, momentarily forgetting the situation. A soft chuckle broke his brooding train of thought. Ed blinked, looking up. His gaze was met with the crimson eyes of the Nosferatu, and for the first time, the realization hit him that he had no idea what a 'Nosferatu' was. In fact, he had no idea who the man was, or what his intentions were asides from killing Father….Not that such things would stop him from retaliating when he believed his person was being insulted. "What're you laughing at?"

A smug smirk crossed the pale man's lips as he moved slowly towards where Ed stood. "You. Such a _short_ temper you have, _human._"

Ed was positively trembling with indignation, however the 'human' comment had made him wary enough to reign in his need to retaliate with violence. "Just who in the hell do you think you are?"

More laughter, punctuated with a soft scoff. "Do you not listen? Or could my voice not reach you so close to the ground?"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SEE OVER THE CRACKS IN THE CEMENT?" Ed took a deep breath, reigning in his anger. "I know what you said you _are_, but you never said _who _you are, 'no life king'." He injecting as much mocking as he could into the title, both to show he indeed had been listening, and to show he didn't give a fuck. '_He can refer to himself as 'king' all he wants, but I won't believe it till I see proof.'_

He stopped a few feet from Ed, his expression transitioning into something less infuriating. "Hm, quite observant for one your age." He ignored the way Ed's eye had begun twitching, instead looking over the alchemist as if sizing him up. Before Ed could make a rude comment, the No Life King lifted his arm, sweeping it in to rest over his heart before bending slightly at the waist and inclining his head.

Ed had to consciously keep his jaw from hitting the ground. '_Is, is he bowing?'_

Crimson eyes moved to meet his, a strange, but not entirely unpleasant sensation overtaking him, seeming to make the forthcoming words echo in his head more than they should have. "The name given to me by my Masters, is _Alucard."_

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a/n: before you ask, _yes_, I plan to move beyond the 'Father-and-Alucard-fight' plot. The first arc is over, and now, a new one must commence! I'll see you then, my friends!

deadpan riot


	5. was that you knocking kid?

At last, I bring you the next chapter! Which, I know, is far too short for the amount of time it took me to make it appear here. Why? various boring, everyday reasons. sorry guys. Anyway...

This is still from Ed's perspective.

Summary: In which Ed and Alucard have words, and somebody gets shot.

Chapter 5: Was that you knocking kid?

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_"The name given to me by my Masters, is Alucard."_Ed let the implications of the sentence seep into his brain, already tweaking his ever-evolving evaluation of the man. "Master's?"

"Yes." The man-no, Alucard, had straightened his posture so they stood face to face (Ed was loathe to admit it was more accurately face to chest).

Ed frowned, eyes roving over the man. '_So he really isn't God then. After all, how can 'God' have a Master? And what does that mean anyway? He's a, a slave?'_ The top half of Alucard's jumper caught his attention. '_And is that some sort of straight-jacket?'_ He looked back up into the eyes that even when not luminescent where eerie. "So, you're a slave?"

Alucard's lips pulled back in what would have been a sneer if not for the upturned corners of his mouth.

Ed felt his blood freeze. For the first time since his appearance, the Fullmetal Alchemist got a good look at the No Life King's grin, up close and personal. More to the point, what the parting of his lips revealed. '_Shit, the guy's got a scarier smile than a Doberman. If he's the slave I'd hate to see the master.' _

A soft chuckle broke the deer-in-the-headlights thing Ed'd fallen into. He blinked to clear his mind, only to find the fangs once again hidden from sight; although the smug smile he was receiving wasn't all _that _much better. He looked off towards the side as if feigning disinterest, looking at the Nosferatu instead out of the corner of his eye.

Alucard's grin faltered for a moment, before becoming something else entirely. "Tell me, human, was it you knocking at the other side of the barrier?"

Before he could stop himself, Ed looked the man full on in the face. "What?"

Alucard frowned, eyes narrowing for a moment before giving his head the slightest of shakes. He looked thoughtfully at the alchemist for a moment, as if deciding how to best phrase his question to get the desired answer. "You where the one hitting from out here?"

"Uh…"

"I believe you referred to him as 'the dwarf in the flask homunculus'."

Ed frowned, wondering if it was just coincidence the man knew which part of the question he'd been mulling over in his head. From there, he was able to mentally rephrase the peculiar wording into ''_Where you the one beating the crap out of the guy I tore my way out of'?'.'_

Ed missed the split second smirk that flitted across the Nosferatu's lips.

"Yea, until you came in. Although I really can't take _all _the credit for myself. It was a group effort for awhile." He jammed a thumb back towards where he knew his friends were, although wished he hadn't, the way the red eyes immediately leapt to them. "Although," He waited until he was again the center of Alucard's attention(or at least until the creature's eyes were back on him) before continuing his comment. "By the end of it, it was just me."

"Really…Why? Why did your _friends_ leave you to fight alone?"

Ed, disliking the intonation of the question, replied without thinking, emotions getting the better of him. "Because I was the one Father singled out! I was trapped, and Al sacrificed himself for me so that I could kill the bastard and-" As he'd been speaking he'd put on an air of cockiness, of anger, but the second his own words had sunk in, it was smothered by one of despair and horror. '_Alphonse!' _He didn't take note of the eyebrow being cocked at him, was already focusing on his brother's metal body when the fanged mouth opened to speak; By the time he'd turned and begun to walk away he'd already missed the sound of a gun being cocked, and the sight of the reaching hand that had triggered it. He did, however, hear the racket the bullet made as it left the barrel.

Ed pivoted down into a crouch out of habit, hands at the ready, eyes scanning the area for the shooter. His gaze found the smoking barrel first, still aimed as it was, before moving to the wielder of the weapon. Dark hair, white uniform: a Briggs soldier. _'What the fuck?' _

Soft laughter, coming from somewhere below his knee, caught his attention. Looking down at the source of the noise, Ed was given understanding. He hadn't heard the bullet hit, nor the thump of dead weight hitting the ground, yet sprawled before him was the Nosferatu, an obvious bullet wound to the head. And he was _laughing _as if instead of being shot, the soldier had told him a joke. And although the man's cheek was against the cement, hair obscuring his face, Ed knew some sort of deranged smile was on his lips.

This close, Ed was able to see the blood on the concrete as it slithered back to it's point of ejection, said wound closing right before his eyes. He was so engrossed in the peculiar spectacle that he didn't see the shadow that had stretched itself along the ground, merged with the shadow of the gunman and crawled it's way upwards. He only became aware of it once it had latched onto the soldier's throat, causing him to cry out in surprise and drop his weapon. Had the man not been in white, Ed, nor anyone else, would have been able to tell the thing was there.

The laughter grew softer, the animalistic tones in it drawing Ed's attention back to Alucard. He pushed himself up smoothly onto his forearms, head turning as he did to reveal burning eyes and a predator's smile. Even though the Nosferatu wasn't focusing on him, Ed quickly straightened up and took a step back as Alucard slowly climbed to his feet.

The second the No Life King had straightened, the tendril of shadow gained a more solid form, rising from the ground to hold it's own against the laws of physics. There was no obvious command given as the thing lifted the man from the ground and pulled him swiftly to it's master, paying no heed to the attempts of the soldier to be free. Alucard caught the man deftly by the fabric of his uniform, holding him suspended at least a foot off the ground. The shadow retreated to dance idly behind it's master, giving the Nosferatu an unearthly look. The hungry gaze locked on the face of the soldier above him didn't help either.

"Fool, a dog like you cannot kill me, only a Man can kill a Monster!" Alucard's grin widened, pupils contracting as he slowly lowered the man so their faces where closer together, voice lowering to a soft purr. "But since you managed to take one of my lives, I think I'll take one of yours." The soldier's face was now parallel that of the Nosferatu's, dark eyes wide and reflecting the red glow of the creature's irises. "Too bad dogs don't have nine lives."

"No!" Ed's fist smacked solidly against the black clad arm in front of him, the force pivoting Alucard's upper body so he and Ed where again face to face. Ed hit him again, squarely in the chest, forcing the Nosferatu to swing the rest of himself to face the Alchemist. "Don't. You. Fucking. Kill. Him. Bastard!" Each word was accompanied by the sound of flesh hitting flesh, and although he was hitting with his stronger left arm, Ed hadn't managed to move the No Life King at all. The Nosferatu didn't even flinch, taking the hits as if they where nothing, only further infuriating the alchemist.

He struck again, only this time his fist didn't hit the man's chest. Ed stared dumbfounded at the hand closed around his, grip like steel but not actually painful. He hadn't even seen the Nosferatu move. Ed tried to pull away, only to find the arm as unmoving as the rest of the man. Whipping his gaze upwards to yell in the man's face, he found the crimson eyes already on him. They held his, and he couldn't look away. The anger fell away, a stillness he'd never known before washing over him. He felt vulnerable, _naked,_ like every thought, every secret he had inside him was being examined. He didn't like it.

Alucard's eyes narrowed and the feeling ebbed away, leaving only his residual emotions. "Is that an order?" The No Life King's voice was so soft, Ed just barely caught the question. He wasn't sure why that would matter, but if it would save the soldier's life…"Yes, now put him down!"

And to Ed's surprise, Alucard did just that.

The soldier hit the cement with a thud, uniform rumpled where seconds before it'd been held snugly in the hand holding him off he ground. Without waiting for the air to return to his lungs, the man crawled away as fast as he could, not looking back until he'd reached his compatriots.

Alucard had watched the soldier the entire way, his face blank save for the slight down-turning of his lips. Only when the man had melded into the group of soldiers he'd been apart of did the Nosferatu's gaze slide back to Ed's. The alchemist froze, more than expecting some sort of violence against his person. A full minute of silence passed between the two of them before Ed relaxed, coming to the conclusion that he wasn't going to be hit at that point in time.

Alucard released his hold, dropping his hand back to his side. Ed flexed his fingers slowly, eyeing up the Nosferatu. He wasn't sure what to make of the pointedly blank expression, nor the whole altercation for that matter. _'Gah, I'll figure it out later, right now I need to focus on getting both Al and his body back! Boy, does that sound we-'_

"You were saying?"

Ed blinked as his train of thought was neatly derailed. "Uh…yea, look there's something I've got to do." He ignored the annoyance being broadcast in the Nosferatu's eyes as he took a step back, pivoted on his heel, and again made an attempt to go to his brother's downed soul-shell.

"Raising the dead?" Alucard's voice was low, sly, and far too stopped in his tracks, one foot hovering slightly over the ground. _'How does he…' _Drawing himself up to his full height, Ed, for once, stayed silent, waiting for the Nosferatu to continue.

"If you like, perhaps I can be of _assistance._"

A small chill ran down his spine at the words, and Ed had to make a conscious effort not to look back at the man. He could feel the eyes on the back of his head, could almost hear the grin that was most likely in place. At that point, he didn't want to know exactly what kind of assistance was being offered. "No. This is something I need to do myself."

"Are you sure?" His tone was even lower, slyer; almost goading, in fact.

Ed pointedly began walking away. "Yes."

Unbeknownst to the alchemist, Alucard was looking at him with just the slightest bit of respect, his next words lost to everyone save himself. "As you wish, _Edward Elric."_

* * *

And there you go, one step closer to...wherever I'm going with this! Sorry guys, no spoilers this time! Maybe next time.

Speaking of next time, I'll warn you that the next chapter updates may be slower in coming. Friend's living across the pond are visiting home for a month, and we plan to party it up. Don't worry though, I won't forget about this fic!

until next time!

deadpan riot


	6. The Toll

I bring you the next installment!

'_anything like this' _is the thoughts of the person who's POV this is written in.

_**'anything like this'**_ is the thoughts of others that Alucard can hear

**'anything like this'** is mental conversation. In this chapter, basically what Alucard hears when Greed and Ling speak to each other.

This chapter is from Alucard's perspective.

Summary: In which Alucard does a bit of information gathering, and Ed has to make a choice.

Chapter 6:The Toll

* * *

He watched the short blond walk off towards the pile of metal scrap that had been his brother. Curiosity scratched insistently in the back of his mind, but he pointedly ignored it. He wasn't too keen on letting everyone in on the little fact that _he did not fucking belong here._ He'd had an inkling from the get go, but it was the foray into the mind of the metal limbed kid that really sent the message home: this was not his world. Hell, it wasn't even the right _year, _let alone the right _century._ And the longer he kept that knowledge to himself, the better his chances at…well, whatever he decided to take his chances on.

Pushing those thoughts back enough to hear himself think, Alucard swept his gaze over towards the group of soldiers to his right. It only took a second to find who he was looking for. The soldier who owed him a life stared back at him, posture going rigid the second their eyes met. He pulled his lips back into a feral grin, and by the look on the man's face, he'd gotten the message. _'You're life means nothing to me. Had it been my choice, you'd be nothing more than a smear on the ground by now you worthless excuse of sentient life.'_

Satisfied that he'd reestablished his dominance via terror, Alucard shifted his attention elsewhere. He let it drift over the other assembled humans, taking note of each of those not marked by the white uniform of the militia dogs. His eyes lingered on an older, blonde man that sent an annoying flicker of recognition through him, most likely due to the foreign memories within him. Before he could place him however, Alucard found his attention drawn by the sound of a voice with inhuman undertones. He pinpointed it, narrowing his senses until only the dark haired man registered. '_Hm, he's human…but not.' _Alucard noted the duality of the man's thoughts, as well as the peculiar life force he gave off. '_Just like the fool who believed me to be God'_

Making his decision, Alucard made his way towards the man, ignoring the looks he was receiving, intent on getting answers. He knew he'd have to tread carefully if he was to keep from giving himself away, the jumble of thoughts around him warned him as much. He didn't need to find himself facing an army of Xenophobes before he'd even had a chance to form some sort of understanding of the battlefield.

The man (Greed was what the woman standing by him had called him) turned slowly to face him, a grin sliding onto his face as they locked eyes. "Well, if it isn't the so-called God! And here I thought Father was all talk. Although I still think he may have been." Violet eyes looked him pointedly up and down.

Alucard flashed the man a lopsided grin, more to show off his incisors than to indicate amusement. "Fanatics most often are." He got a cocked eyebrow in response.

"Fanatic? Ha, you don't know the half of it! Or do you? I mean, if you're supposed to be God, then you would, wouldn't you eh? 'All-knowing' or whatever it is they say." With a sly grin he pointed a finger towards Alucard's chest as he spoke.

The No Life King leaned in until he was nose to nose with the man before him. To his credit, Greed didn't back away. "I'm not God, _Greed_. Just God_like_." He punctuated the whispered words with a malicious smile.

For a split second Greed looked dumbstruck, before his usual grin slid back into place. "Ahhh, well, that makes two of us then eh, _Alucard_?"

He just continued to smirk at the man who's personal space he was invading. He would have been disappointed if Greed _hadn't_ heard the conversation with Ed. Now all he needed to do was set a little bait. "Mm, does it now? I'm not so sure. Prove it to me."

"Prove it to you? I'm Greed the Avaricious, the one and only Homunculus in the world! If anything, you should prove yourself to me, 'Bird of Hermes'." He stared defiantly into the blood colored irises before him, egotistical grin in place.

Alucard processed the information, as well as the conversation he could hear taking place inside the creature's skull.  
**'Greed, stop goading him!'  
'What's the matter Ling, scared?'  
'No! I just don't want you getting my body torn up any worse than you have already! You've seen what this guy can do!'  
'Are you sayin' I would lose, Pissant-Prince?'  
'Well, he did just defeat 'Father' without breaking a sweat.'  
'Ha! If he hadn't I would have!'  
'Then why didn't you do it before?'  
'Ho, I see where you're goin' with this kid. Don't think that just because I never got the chance I couldn't have beaten that old bastard!'  
'You had plenty of chances, Greed. Besides, your plan would probably have failed anyway.'  
'WHY YOU LITTLE-'**

"The _one _and only? My how sad, you mistake inevitable extinction for godliness!" He laughed, straightening as he did so he and Greed where no longer in one another's faces. The look that crossed the Homunculus's face only added to his mirth.

Regaining his composure, Greed sneered up at him, arms crossing over his chest. "Keh, of course not. I've been around since before anyone here was born, and will continue to be here long after they die!"  
**'What about that Hohenheim guy? He was obviously around before you…'  
'So? This guy doesn't know that. Besides, the old man's done for. I'll be surprised if he lasts another year!'  
'And what about my body?'  
'What about it?'  
'Well, Wrath-'  
'I'm not Wrath, kid. We've discussed this eh? Remember? So long as I'm here you're body's stuck as-is, and I don't plan on going anywhere.'  
'If you say so, Greed.'  
'Do you doubt me?'  
'No-no-nooooooo, of course not! Heh'**

"And yet you have a _human body_. Which leads me to wonder how you plan to make that statement reality; All the humans I've ever encountered have a pesky habit of getting old and _dying_."

Greed waved the statement off in an airy, almost flippant way. "That doesn't matter to _me_; I've overcome it. Beaten it."  
'**You mean **_**I **_**overcame it? After all, if I hadn't accepted you into my body-'  
'You'd grow old and die. You're welcome, by the way.'**

Alucard had to brutally smother the amusement that had risen in him at the duo's conversation; It was like listening to an old married couple. Which, he supposed, they kind of were if his theories on their double existence were correct….He shook those thoughts from his head. He could use them later, but right now he needed to pretend he couldn't hear anyone's thoughts but his own. _'So long as I don't breath to loudly against the receiver…wait. That would only apply if I were listening in on a telephone conversation…Aha..hahahahaha!'_

Greed cocked an eyebrow, the 'what-the-fuck-are-you-looking-at-me-like-that-for' face he was sporting made Alucard realize he'd probably dropped the ball on the whole 'keep-his-emotions-for-the-inner-and-outer-noise's-separate' thing. Oh well.

The Nosferatu tilted his head slightly. "Oh?"

Greed moved his forearm away from his chest, holding it vertically between them. Alucard felt a peculiar shift as right before his eyes the bare flesh turned dark and shiny. Now there was something he didn't see everyday.

"With the Ultimate Shield, no one can lay a scratch on me!" Greed flicked his newly changed flesh with his other hand, creating a peculiar sound that definitely wasn't created by normal human skin.

Alucard whistled in response. To him it sounded great, in theory. Which to him was all it was, theory. If he was to be truly impressed with this 'Greed's' ability, then he'd have to see it put to the test. And who better to do it than himself?

"Shall we put that to the test?"

In response, Greed shifted into a fighting stance. "Gladly! I'll show you just how great I am!"  
**'Greed!'  
'Don't worry kid, I've got this! And while I'm at it maybe I'll take his power too! Hahaha!'  
'I thought you'd gotten over that already?'**

Alucard grinned manically, waiting for the first blow to land.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT, YOU ROTTEN FATHER!"

Greed frowned, attention shifting reluctantly towards the angry teen.  
'**Bah, what's his problem?'  
'Sounds like Ed's angry.'  
'When isn't he?'  
'Dunno. What's he yelling about?'  
'Ha! He's refusing to use Hohenheim as a sacrifice to bring back the Tin Man.'  
'…Greed…Give him the Philosopher's Stone.'  
'What? Why?'  
'I don't need it, since I have you. And you know you don't need it either. Unless of course you want to admit you're not indestructible…'  
'FINE! Lousy kid…'**

Greed gave him an exasperated look before straightening, lifting his hands in a 'what can I say' sort of gesture. "Unfortunately, this little test will have to wait, Alucard. Maybe some other time." He flashed the Nosferatu a smirk before turning on his heel.

Alucard looked on in annoyance as Greed moved off towards Ed and the group surrounding him. Figures, the kid had to get in the way of his bloodshed again. Of course he could initiate it himself, but seeing as Greed wasn't technically the 'enemy', he had no grounds to do so. If the homunculus went after him first it was one thing, but an unprovoked attack, he had found, was generally not something he was able to get away with.

Greed stopped near the kneeling form of the blonde alchemist, waiting for him to finish fighting with his father before he spoke. When he did, Alucard realized that it wasn't in fact Greed speaking, but the other one, Ling. "Ed. I've got the toll." The homunculus held up a small vial of red liquid. "Use it. It's a Philosopher's Stone. Get Al back with it."

The alchemist stared incredulously at his friend for a moment before lowering his head, slamming his fist into the ground. "I can't." Ed was visibly shaking as he spoke. "I promised Al I wouldn't use a Philosopher's stone to get our bodies back."

"Why not?"

Everyone turned to look at him. Alucard smirked back at them as he made his way slowly towards Ed. Golden eyes locked onto his, emotions staining them darker then he remembered them.

"Because we made a promise that we wouldn't use human life."

Alucard raised an eyebrow. "Then don't. Use the, ah, _stone_." He cast a glance at the substance he was referring to, reluctant to call it a stone when it was so very obviously liquid.

"But it was made with human lives! And if I use it, I'm using life!" Ed clenched his fists, glaring up at Alucard, who'd come to stand next to Ling. "It's wrong. Those people suffered enough. I'm not going to use them."

He laughed, garnering angered looks from all those gathered around. "Don't be an idiot. Do you really think the people killed to make that _care?_ They're dead, nothing more than ghosts of what they once where." He eyed up the alchemist, who looked as if he'd been hit by a truck. Narrowing his eyes, he examined the thoughts of the blonde, getting a feel for the kid's beliefs before he continued. He wanted to get this stupid debate over with. "Besides, do you really think that they'd want to be trapped inside that thing for the rest of eternity? If it's anything like what was inside that fool I was imprisoned in, then you'd be doing them a favor."

"What was it like?" Ed's voice was quiet, making him sound more like the child Alucard saw him as.

"Crowded." At Ed's owlish stare, he elaborated. "It was like a highly pathetic version of 'Hell'."

"Hell?" The anger had fled from the golden eyes, momentarily replaced with fear and disbelief.

"Yes. Hell." He snatched the vial lightly from Ling's hand, hiding his amusement at the look on the man's face as he did so. "Perhaps if you use this, it will free them." Did he really believe that? Not really. Who was to say how the stone would work? Not to mention if he was right at all about the people that where supposedly trapped in there. After all, he couldn't feel individual people _per se, _but he could feel a strong sense of life coming off the red substance. Sort of like what he felt from the homunculus actually…

"But…I promised Al…"

Alucard made a derisive noise before tossing the vial into Ed's lap. "Just use it and quite whining like a little kid."

Ed grabbed the vial, clenching it tightly in his fist. "I'm NOT a little kid!" The words were spoken through clenched teeth, the alchemist obviously trying to reign in his temper. The rant inside the kid's head however, was far less restrained, and through it Alucard found himself learning a plethora of Amestrian cusses and slang terms.

"Prove me wrong, _salt shaker_."

The bewildered look on Ed's face at being called a 'salt shaker' slowly turned to something far more manic and angry. Alucard was slightly disappointed that it took the blonde so long to realize that it was, in fact, a pointed insult, however stupid it sounded.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD SIT ON A TABLE AND NO ONE WOULD NOTICE BECAUSE THEY'D MISTAKE HIM FOR THE SALT SHAKER?"

Alucard refrained from answering, instead shooting the alchemist a pointed look. Ed growled at him, before jumping to his feet. "Fine!"

The alchemist turned his attention to his friends crowded around, as well as the little girl crying on the armor. "You might want to step back a bit."

"Ed…" It was the woman supporting Hohenheim. Alucard gave her a look out of the corner of his eye, but otherwise ignored her.

"As much as I hate to admit it, he makes a valid point, Teacher. And if these people really are trapped in here, then it's the least I can do to set them free." Ed held up the vial as he spoke, the sun glinting off it as if in agreeance.

"Ed, you don't know that!" The woman had gone rigid, a nasty look on her face that Alucard couldn't help but approve of. Hohenheim even looked terrified of her, and her anger wasn't even directed at him.

Ed's gaze fell to the fallen armor at his feet. "No. I don't."

"So you're just going to take the word of that _thing?"_ She gestured wildly at Alucard, causing Hohenheim to wobble a bit. She opened her mouth to continue, but Ed cut her off.

"Yes." He bent to pick up a battered piece of piping that was lying near the remains of his brother. "I'm sorry, Teacher." He moved around her and Hohenheim, people backing away to give him the space he required. Without another word, Ed began scratching lines on the concrete.

Alucard watched with interest as Ed continued what he was doing, the random lines slowly coming together to form an intricate circle design. He frowned, something about the entire thing stirring long dormant feelings in the back of his mind. It reminded him of something, something he'd come to associate with pain and sorrow. He shoved the half baked memories away, disliking the powerless feeling they were giving him.

The clang of metal hitting concrete brought back his attention to his surroundings, eyes fixing momentarily on the discarded pole before returning to Ed, who was now in the center of his drawing.

Ling's sharp intake of breath was abnormally loud in the sudden silence of the courtyard. At least it was to Alucard; no one else seemed to have noticed.  
'**Greed, is that…a human transmutation circle?'  
'Hoho, I think it is! Kid's got guts!'  
'Should we let him? I mean, is there any other way or-'  
'Leave him be, Princeling. He knows what he's doing. He's an alchemist, right? Hahahaha!'  
'Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better Greed.'**

"I'll be right back." Ed slapped his palms together as if in prayer, arcs of blue lightning erupting from where they made contact to dance around him. Locking eyes one final time with Alucard, he pulled his hands apart and dropped, slapping his palms against the concrete.  
_**'You better be right, Alucard.'**_

* * *

a/n: Will Alucard get his fight with Greed? Will Ed regret taking Alucard's advice? Will Al know what the fuck everyone's talking about when they complain about the annoying bastard in the straightjacket? Tune in next time to find out!

deadpan riot


	7. Whole but still not Well

Hey everyone! Firstly, I just want to take a minute to thank everyone who's read/reviewed/etc. this story. Your guys' encouragment has helped keep me from getting bored and dropping it. So thanks guys!

'_anything like this'_ is the thoughts of the person who's perspective is being used.

written in Ed's perspective.

Summary: Time has passed and everyone is on the mend. Ed too has had his wounds healed, but now finds himself suffering a different kind of pain. In which Havoc and Mustang again find themselves whole, and Ed remembers the encounter at the gate.

Chapter 7: Whole but still not Well

* * *

_Three weeks later_

Silverware clacked against the porcelain of the dishes as Ed set the tray of food down before Al. It was meager by his standards, but he knew his brother couldn't handle much other than broth and applesauce as of yet.

"Alright Al, eat up! The doc even let me bring you dessert today." He made a grand motion at the muffin in question before falling into his seat next to the hospital bed.

"Thanks brother!" Al grabbed his spoon and started in on his meal, turning to Ed as he did. "I saw Havoc while you were down in the cafeteria."

Ed straightened. "He's here?" _Already_ he added mentally.

Al nodded. "He left just before you got back actually…"

Ed frowned, standing.  
'_So they're doing it today? Shit, I was hoping I would have more time! Why that bastard colonial couldn't wait another week…'  
_He looked back at his younger brother, who was giving him a worried look.  
'_At least Havoc didn't know what Mustang has planned, or he would've told Al…Damn it, if only I'd had more time to tell Al everything! But noooooo, Mr. I'm a freaking doctor had to forbid me from telling him all the important shit. 'For his health' my ass…'  
_He flashed his little brother a reassuring smile. "Why don't I go find him and teach him some manners hm?"

"Brother!"

"I'm just kidding!" He held up his hands in surrender. "I only want to say hi to the guy! I swear!" With an 'ok-fine-go' gesture from his brother, Ed was out the door. He tried to keep his pace fast without actually running, but was doing a horrible job of it. The various nurses and doctors he'd had run-ins with for the last three weeks threw disapproving looks his way as he swerved in and out of people.

Finally, after what seemed like hours(but was barely 2 minutes), he came to Mustang's room. The door was closed and locked, so he banged on it with his good arm. "Hey open up in there!" After a few seconds the door opened, the person behind it just barely avoiding having being hit.

"Hey, watch it there Chief!"

"Oops, sorry Breda, didn't see you there." Ed rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as the 2nd lieutenant moved to let him in the room.

"Ah, Fullmetal, I was wondering when you'd show up."

Ed looked over at Mustang, who was smirking in his general direction. One look at the colonel's eyes and he knew he'd made it in time. "What, don't tell me you've actually been sitting around waiting for me, colonel."

Roy crossed his arms. "Actually, we have. Fortunately you managed to show up faster then we expected. Which reminds me." He held out a hand, palm up. "I believe you owe me 10 cenz, Breda."

"You bet on when I'd get here?" He deadpanned, trying to decide if, and who, he should be angry at.

Breda pulled out his wallet and put the money in his commander's hand with a sigh. "Yea. When we heard Havoc was coming today, we made bets on how long it would take you to realize he was here without us telling you."

"I uh, think I might've dropped the ball on that one."

Everyone, including the sightless Mustang, looked over at Havoc, who was grinning sheepishly from his wheelchair.

"Havoc!"

"Sorry guys."

Ed just sighed, knowing that at that point getting angry would only call on a headache sooner than he wanted. The whole point of this little get together was headache material enough.

"Hey Havoc, long time no see." He threw on the most sincere smile he could muster for the sake of his friend.

"Hey kid, glad to see you've managed to get a rein on that temper of yours."

Ed's eye twitched. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD PASS OFF AS A KINDGARTENER?"

"Looks like I spoke too soon.." Havoc patted the air in a gesture of surrender.

"What's all the yelling? Ed what're you-DIDN'T I JUST TELL YOU NOT TO SMOKE IN HERE?"

Havoc grinned sheepishly before making a show of snuffing out his cigarette. "Sorry Doc, old habits…"

Dr. Knox glared at everyone in turn, including Fuery, Hawkeye, and Falman who'd been so far quite, before turning towards the door. "Well, it looks like everyone's here." At his words, two more people entered the room, the last closing the door with a soft click.

"Hello again Ed." Ross smiled warmly at him.

Ed returned the 2nd lieutenant's smile before turning to the hooded figure at her side. "Doctor Marcoh."

Marcoh put the hood of his cloak down, revealing his scarred face now that he was in the presence of his comrades. "Edward."

For a moment everyone was silent, before Havoc interjected. "So, now are you all going to tell me what this is about?"

With a sigh, Ed stalked over and snagged an empty chair near the window. He'd be damned if he was the one that was going to dole out all of the explanations.

"What if I told you that after this meeting, you'd be able to walk again?" Mustang's voice was soft, but carried wonderfully in the dead silence.

"I'd tell you to lay off the booze, boss. Unless you think the gathered willpower of everyone here could fix me, then I'd just call you a nutter."

Roy smirked. "Quite true. However, we have something a bit more substantial than willpower."

Havoc stared dumbfounded at Mustang for a moment, before his eyes roved over everyone in the room. They landed on the two doctors and held.

Dr. Knox huffed and crossed his arms. "Don't look at me boy."

"Dr. Marcoh, if you would."

At Mustang's prompting, the disfigured man pulled the object of their discussion from his pocket, holding it out for everyone to see. The light reflected brilliantly off the ruby red stone, making it shimmer and sparkle like the innocuous jewel it wasn't.

Havoc's eyes widened as his mind registered what he was seeing. "Is-is that?"

"A Philosopher's Stone. One I created during my time in Laboratory Five." Marcoh eyed the thing in his grip sadly.

Havoc's eyes swung back to Mustang. "Roy, you can't be serious!"

"Unfortunately, I am." His voice softened. "With this stone, you _will _walk again, and I _will _see again."

"But sir! Those stones are made with people's _lives! _I can't-"

"Don't."

"But sir-"

"Listen to me Jean, I know how you feel. I'll admit the thought of it still bothers me. However." Mustang shifted his eyes towards where he knew Ed was sitting. "The lives we'll be able to make better, the wrongs we'll be able to work on righting…We can't do it as well in our current conditions then if we were at 100%. And if we have to use this stone to do that, to help others, then I think that the men who died to create it would be willing to do that for us."

Ed just frowned at his reflection, knowing that the speech was just as much for his benefit as it was for Havoc's. Even though he'd watched the entire exchange via the window reflection, the fact that Mustang's eyes had stayed in his direction wasn't lost on him, even if they were half closed.

Havoc sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I don't know Roy…"

"Just do it." Ed watched as all eyes went to him. He pointedly ignored them, continuing to pretend that something outside had his interest.

"Ed.." Hawkeye's soft voice.

He ignored her, watching instead the way Havoc looked between him and everyone else in the room.

"Did I miss something?"

"Ed." Mustang this time.

With great reluctance, Ed shifted until he was again facing the room, glaring at Mustang as he did. He'd known from the get-go that he'd be called upon to say something, to voice out loud what he'd done. He just didn't think it'd be so damn hard, with all those eyes on him, friends or not.

"You saw my brother." His gaze was now on Havoc. It wasn't a question.

"Yea."

Ed's gaze shifted to the floor. He may have done it, may have been able to rationalize it, but it still nagged at his conscious. "I used a stone."

Silence, then: "You. You used a stone? Even though you were so adamant that you wouldn't?"

He refocused his gaze on Havoc, locking eyes with the former 2nd lieutenant. "Yes."

"Why? What made you change your mind?" His voice was strained and disbelieving, but otherwise calm.

Ed ran a hand through his hair, messing up his braid in the process but not giving a damn. "I guess…I was given a different point of view. And at the time, it seemed logical. Right, even. Now…Now I still think that." He left out the fact that he felt torn up inside about it, that he couldn't even bring himself to tell his little brother, when he'd always told him anything medical advice be damned. And since Al didn't remember much from the time he sacrificed himself to the time he woke up on the grass, well, that made it all the easier to just not say anything.

"A different point of view." Havoc looked around at his gathered friends for answers. They in turn kept silent, making it clear that Mustang wanted this to be Ed's tale.

"From 'God'."

Havoc's eyes went wide, dumbstruck. "'God'?" He bust out laughing, startling Fuery, who toppled over from atop the pile of books he'd made his perch.

"Sorry Kain…" Havoc cleared his throat, attempting to regain an air of seriousness. After Fuery had righted himself, Havoc motioned for Ed to continue.

"Yea. Although I don't think he really was God, he even said as much…" At the look on havoc's face, he sighed, resigning himself to the role of storyteller. He settled back in his chair, getting comfortable, before summarizing everything that happened in the courtyard, automatically slipping into report-giving mode.

By the end of it, Havoc looked as if he'd been hit by a car. Repeatedly. "That's…wow." He looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling, automatically going for his cigarettes. He'd managed to stick one in his mouth and fish out a lighter before Knox caught him.

"So…How did Alphonse take it?"

Ed cursed under his breath as he felt his face grow hot, averting his gaze back to the floor. He decided they really needed to get a new tile pattern so he'd have something to pretend to find interesting down there.

"He hasn't told him."

Ed sent a scowl in Mustang's direction. "I will! Eventually…I just…haven't gotten the chance…" He cast a glance at Dr. Knox, hoping he'd cut in with something about nerves, or recovery, or other doctor bullshit. Sadly, he was left hanging. '_Figures. The one time I wouldn't mind his 'medical advising' he decides to shut up.'_

"Hm." Mustang gave Ed a long look, and even though he couldn't actually see, Ed felt every second of it. Once he'd deemed he'd gotten his silent point across, Roy turned back to Havoc. "Although the man was…questionable, he made a valid point."

Havoc ran a hand through his hair, the other tapping absently against the arm of his wheelchair. "Yea, I guess." He slumped back, blowing air out of his mouth as he did. "Alright, let's do it."

Mustang nodded. "Doctor Marcoh, if you would, please."

Ed cringed, torn between wanting to flee, and feeling a need to stay and bear witness. He wrapped his fingers tightly around the arms of his chair, forcing himself to stay still. He'd promised himself he'd be here, and he knew if he changed his mind, he'd come to regret it.

Dr. Marcoh moved to stand before Havoc, and without any preempt, went to it.

The sight of the red energy arcs sent a chill down Ed's spine, and it took all his conscious effort to smother the memories that tried to resurface. Now wasn't the time to take a trip down memory lane.

As quick as they'd come the energy arcs where gone, leaving a furiously blinking Havoc in their wake. Ed watched as his eyes slowly went down to his legs. With great care, he moved first one, and then the other. His gaze shot up, looking around at his friends. "I-I can feel them…" He set his feet on the ground, gingerly moving forward to put weight on them. Falman and Breda immediately moved to his side, each offering an arm to help him stand. With a little help, Havoc was on his feet, testing his new found strength and trying to re-find his balance. When he was certain he could stand on his own, he nodded, and Breda and Falman let go, ready to grab him if need be.

The sight made Ed's gut clench. Seeing Havoc standing on his own, the sheer joy and disbelief in his face sent so many emotions cascading through him that he couldn't have said how he felt even if he tried. For the first time in weeks, he felt better about what he'd agreed to, both with Al, and with the people crowded around him.

Havoc laughed, stepping forward to pat Marcoh on the shoulder before walking(albeit a bit unsteadily) over to Hawkeye's bed where he promptly sat down. He shot her a winning smile, jiggling his legs as he did, before turning to look at Roy. "Alright Roy, you're up."

XXXXXXX

Ed sighed, leaning back against the cool brick wall of the hospital. He'd stayed long enough to see Mustang get his sight back before it was too much for him. He'd politely made his exit amidst the laughing and celebrating, but not before making sure that none of them would mention any of it to Al. He knew that now more than ever he needed to tell his brother the truth, no matter how much he wanted to hide it from him. _'He's not some little kid that needs to be sheltered, but damn if I don't feel that way.' _He shifted, gaze moving up to where he knew the stars would have been if not for the city lights. _'In the morning'_ he promised himself. _'I'll tell him in the morning.'_

He pushed away from the wall, continuing on his aimless path around the building. Before hand he'd popped into Al's room to tell him he was going for a walk so he wouldn't be missed. He needed time alone, time to think, to reevaluate both his actions and his beliefs. Even with all the good, the memory of what a Philosopher's Stone was still weighed heavily on his mind. The bottom line, no matter how he rationalized it, was that he'd still used other people's lives for his own end. And more importantly, had gone against both his and his brother's beliefs without even running it by him first.

He pushed away his misgivings, focusing first on his brother's smiling face, then Havoc's as he stood on his own two legs for the first time in what felt like eons. For a moment the image held, bringing a sort of relief to him before shattering, replaced instead with an image of flashing red arcs that danced in and out of his vision. Before he could smother them, the memories of the day in the courtyard where on him…

xxxx

"_I'll be right back." _

_His palms stung from the force of his slamming them together, but he ignored it. Ignored too the blue arcs of energy, the feel of the concrete beneath his palms and the sudden weightlessness that came with crossing over. He closed his eyes and waited. _

"_Hello, Mr. Al-che-mist."_

_Ed opened his eyes to the sea of white, gaze drifting down to fix on the being seated before him. _

"_Here to bring your brother back, are you?"_

_Truth's eerie voice reverberated in the nothingness, crawling over his skin like a hoard of insects. _

_He didn't wait for an answer. "But how are you going to pull a whole person out of here? What price will you pay? Will you offer your body?"_

_Ed pulled the vial from his pocket, holding it up so his counterpart could see it and it's contents. _

_Truth chuckled, a sly grin on his face. "Ah, a Philosopher's Stone…Are you sure? Yes? As you wish, Mr. Al-che-mist. One life for many, then."_

_Before Ed could comment on the statement, the stone in his hand activated, red arcs dancing to and fro. Ed could hear Truth laughing over the sound of the reaction, saying something that Ed didn't manage to catch. He searched for the being, but couldn't find him._

"_Until we meet again, Edward Elric…."_

_The vial in his hand shattered, startling him. He looked down at his hand, watching stunned as the cuts there slowly healed over as if they'd never been. The liquid stone was gone as well, completely used up. _

_Ed lifted his gaze, to find an almost identical pair of golden eyes staring back at him. "Al…" _

xxxx

Ed sighed, again stopping to rest against the wall. He'd walked both him and Al through the gate, that was all his brother remembered before waking up to sunshine warming his face and grass tickling his skin. He didn't remember Ed offering up the stone, and Ed hadn't yet been forced to tell him. In fact, by the time Al had woken up and Ed had bothered to look, Alucard had disappeared as if he'd never been. And without the Nosferatu there, well…

"How sweet, the mighty child prodigy thinking of me of all people."

Ed jumped, practically tripping over himself as he moved away from the wall. He instantly hated that he felt as though he'd been caught doing something wrong.

"A-Alucard?"

The Nosferatu just smiled at him, leaning his shoulder against the wall Ed'd just vacated.

He wouldn't have recognized him at first, had the man not spoken. Instead of the peculiar black straight jacket jumper thing he'd been in the day they'd met, he was now sporting a flashy red coat, hat, and circular sunglasses that looked more orange than red. Ed wasn't sure which look unnerved him more, but at least the charcoal grey suit and boots beneath were normal.

"What're you doing here?" Ed had, quite wrongly, assumed that if he ever saw the man again it would be quite a bit further into the future.

Alucard held out his hands, one side of his upper lip lifting to reveal an overly large canine. "Curiosity, of course."

* * *

Well there you go. No worries, Alucard will have plenty of screen time next chapter. As for where he dissapeared to for those three weeks, well, I'll guess you'll just have to wait until he decides to spill to find out! Until next time!

deadpan riot


	8. Set the Roses Ablaze

a/n: ho man, hit a bit of writers block with this one for a while there, but managed to lure my muse back with the promise of shiny objects and loud music. And so, I bring you the next chapter, as well as the next arc! -pats muse on head- good job, freak.

'_anything like this' _be the thoughts of whomevers perspective's being used.

written in both Ed and Alucard's perspective. Because I felt like it -shrug-

Summary: In the wake of the Bradley fiasco, a new threat emerges

Chapter 8: Set the Roses Ablaze

Last time:

"_What're you doing here?" Ed had, quite wrongly, assumed that if he ever saw the man again it would be quite a bit further into the future._

_Alucard held out his hands, one side of his upper lip lifting to reveal an overly large canine. "Curiosity, of course."_

* * *

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
(Ed's POV)  
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"Curiosity." Ed eyed the creature before him, wary of the ambiguous response.

The Nosferatu made a humming noise in his chest, tilting his head just slightly. Ed would have bet an entire paycheck that he did it just so the lenses covering his eyes glinted.

"You know curiosity killed the cat, right?" He deadpanned the over-used statement, partially hoping his stupid answer would steer the conversation into a more clear-cut direction. He was sadly mistaken.

"Hm, yes. However, the cat has nine lives, making that point point_less_."

Ed sighed, not really in the mood to play word games or talk in circles about something so inane. "What do you want Alucard?"

He watched as the vampire opened his mouth to respond, only to close it without saying a thing. The eerie smile that had been on his lips slid away, his expression becoming unreadable in the insubstantial light. "I wish to speak with you."

"About what?"

"Leaving."

Ed frowned, confused. "Uh, well, if you want to leave Central just get on a train and-"

"No. I'm quite aware of how trains work. That's not what I meant."

He crossed his arms, his weariness becoming annoyance. "Then what, exactly, do you mean?"

The Nosferatu looked away from him, the new angle allowing Ed to see the frown marring his features. "Has the thought never crossed your mind?"

"What thought?" The round-about way of talking was seriously starting to get to him.

"The one pertaining to the how, where, when and why of my existence."

He stared dumbstruck. _'the how, where, when and why? What is he…'_ and then the thought struck him. _'Riiiight, I get it. I asked him what and who he was, but not anything else…But what does that have to do with him leaving?'_He spoke the thought out loud, bringing the other's gaze back to him.

"Everything." Alucard smirked, seeing that Ed was not, in fact, going to go along with him. "I know you must be curious, human. Come, ask me! I promise I'll answer."

Ed rubbed a hand over his face, sighing over dramatically before giving in, tone mock-serious. "Fine." He took a moment to collect his thoughts and form actual sentences. "_How_ did you come to be here? _Where _did you come from? _Why _are you here? _When_ are you going to go away?"

Alucard laughed at the last question, before settling himself more comfortably against the wall. "You're not even remotely curious as to the place I came from?" He cocked his head, waiting.

The truth was that although Ed was curious, and had thought about it some, he'd had bigger issues on his mind. "Look, it's been a long day. Why don't you come back next week. Maybe then I'll feel like playing 20 questions."

"No." The No Life King pushed himself away from the wall, taking a step forward to stand in Ed's personal space.

Ed had to tilt his head back to look up into the taller man's face, hiding his discomfort at the proximity. Again the peculiar feeling of nakedness washed over him, sending goose bumps racing along his skin.

Alucard's head tilted, lenses sliding down just enough for Ed to get a glimpse of his odd eyes. "We do this tonight." His tone brooked no argument.

Ed sighed. "Fine, whatever. Lets go inside at least." He turned away from the Nosferatu, eyes scrunching up as he attempted to stifle a yawn. "'m exhausted."

"Ed!"

He opened one of his eyes, giving the man addressing him a look. "Havoc? What're you doing out here? I thought Knox was going to play doctor and make sure that you didn't somehow loose your spleen."

Havoc waved the statement off. "He ran out of things to check. Anyway, Roy wants to talk to you, so I volunteered to find you; gotta get these puppies back in shape!" He patted his thigh for emphasis. "I had a feeling I'd find you out here. Although word to the wise," He leaned forward, putting a hand next to his mouth in a secretive fashion. "When you talk to yourself in public, try to be a little more discreet eh? People'll get the wrong idea."

"What do you mean, talking to myself? I was talking to…" He'd turned as he'd spoken, only to find that Alucard had disappeared into the night.

Havoc patted Ed on the shoulder. "Don't worry kid, I won't tell anyone."

He looked up into the grinning face of his friend, irritation grating at his insides. _'Great, thanks to that...whatever the hell he is, Havoc thinks I'm some wacko who talks to himself.'_ "Right. Come on, lets go before colonel bastard gets his panties in a bunch and sends out the retrieval team."

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
__(Alucard's POV)  
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Alucard moved in and out of the shadows, startling more than a few people on his way. He could have gone completely unnoticed, but where was the fun in that? He cast a devilish grin at the nurse he'd appeared next to, before phasing into the hallway wall opposite them.

The room he came out in was empty, and he took that moment to get his bearings. _'Hm, let's see…' _With the help of his third eye, he managed to locate the younger Elric, currently asleep in his room on the third floor. He shifted his focus to the elder brother, taking note of the various people he was currently holed up with. He vaguely remembered seeing the dark haired man and the woman out on the battlefield.

He weighed his options. He could go and lie in wait in the sleeping kid's room, but there was no guarantee that Ed would return in good time, if at all that night. His patience was already being tested as it was, and he was loathe to wait around any longer than he had to. Which brought him to his other option: crashing the room party. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't like making an entrance and scaring the piss out of people.

With a smirk, he made his decision, allowing himself to come apart and be one with the shadows.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. The report was quite clear."

Alucard watched from the corner of the room as Ed ran a hand over his face. He had yet to materialize, choosing instead to linger amongst the shadows and wait for the perfect moment to make his appearance. From what he could gather, something troubling had come to their attention, although as of that moment he wasn't sure what.

"Maybe…maybe they've just been delayed….I don't know if you've ever been up there, but the way the weather is, they could've just been caught in a snow storm…"

"I'm afraid not Edward."

"But you said yourself that they just haven't heard from the train right? They don't have any proof that it's been attacked!"

The dark haired man (Mustang, he'd gathered) shook his head. "No. However, both Olivier and I have reason to believe it has. The past few weeks Fuery has been picking up transmissions that alone might not mean anything, but when looked at together paints a very disturbing picture."

"What do you mean? What's going on?"

"We have reason to believe that in the wake of this whole Bradley fiasco, a new terrorist group has emerged."

"You're kidding right?"

"No Fullmetal, I'm afraid I'm not."

"But if it was a terrorist group, wouldn't they have been flaunting their activities?"

Mustang laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Haven't you learned anything? Only fools show their cards before the game begins."

The room lapsed into silence, allowing the No Life King time to process the new information. Bits and pieces of the puzzle where missing, but he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what they were talking about. He'd run across more than a few interesting things in his time away from Central, that was for sure.

"If you're right, that means the fighting isn't over is it?"

"I'm afraid not. Which is why I need to know, can I count on you?"

Ed was silent, his gaze fixed firmly on his shoes.

"I know you've been thinking of quitting the military now that you've gotten your brother back-"

Ed looked back up at Mustang, who continued once their eyes met. "I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't think my fears were valid."

By the look on Ed's face, Alucard knew he was going to agree despite himself. He wasn't sure which option would be best for him, if the kid agreed, or decided to let someone else deal with it. The problem was, it was piquing his interest. After all, the things he'd seen…_Fuck, as soon as I decide I want to leave, all the mildly interesting things come together to create one big ball of oh-so-wonderful chaos. And of course, it affects the one person I need…'_

Resigning himself to the fact that the universe just wasn't on his side, Alucard willed himself to take form, announcing himself as he did. "I think, human, your fears are well placed." He watched with great amusement as everyone visibly jumped, looking around for the source of his voice. Throwing on what he knew to be an unnerving smile, he stepped from the shadows. To their eyes, it looked as if he'd materialized out of nowhere, which was what he'd been aiming for.

"Oh?" wariness was rolling off Mustang like fog. "And you know this because?"

He tilted his head down just enough to survey the man over his glasses. "I have my reasons…" he watched as the dark eyes managed to become even darker.

"That's not a very good answer. I suggest you make yourself plain before I _escort_ you out of here personally."

He laughed at the barely veiled threat. "How fantastic! Not five minutes here and already I'm being given death threats!" He curbed his laughter, instead fixing a devilish look on the man. "Perhaps I'll refrain from saying anything, what then? How will you do it? Shoot me? Stab me? Lob off my head? Throw me from the window? Impale me, drown me, set the mob on me and burn me on a spit?"

Mustang looked momentarily horrified, before regaining his composure and replying coolly: "I will do none of those things."

"Oh? What a pity."

Mustang frowned. "By the way, I don't think I got your name."

"I didn't give it, _Mustang._" He continued to smirk, even as the man frowned, unnerved.

"Well, it's only fair that if you know mine I should be allowed to know yours…"

Alucard just continued to grin at him, having no intention of introducing himself.

"His name's Alucard, apparently."

He glanced over at Ed, who was clearly annoyed.

"I see. Well, Alucard, I'll ask you one last time, _how do you know for sure I'm right?_"

"I don't."

"But you said-"

"That I think your fears are well placed. If you find bear shit in the woods, you assume that there must, then, be bears whether you see one or not."

Mustang nodded slowly. He said something else, but Alucard wasn't listening. Something else had caught his attention.

He opened his third eye, fixing it on the peculiar sensation that had crawled into the back of his mind. After a bit of flitting about, he was able to pinpoint the source. What he saw was far from good. It made his spirits soar.

"Have you heard a word I've said? Alucard?"

He refocused on the man in front of him, his lips peeling back into a feral grin of their own free will. "I think you'll have your own proof soon enough."

Mustang's eyes went wide. "What do you mean, 'my own pro-"

The rest of his sentence was lost amidst the sound of an ear shattering explosion, the shock waves rattling the ground beneath their feet and sending dust cascading down from the ceiling. Before anyone other than Alucard could process what'd happened, they were plunged into darkness.

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_  
_(Ed's POV)_  
_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Ed picked himself painfully off the floor, not entirely sure as to when he'd gotten there. His ears were ringing, and he was pretty sure he'd landed on his arm the way it was stinging. Flexing it, he squinted into the sudden darkness, waiting for his eyes to adjust.

"Is everyone alright?" Mustangs voice made it's way around the noises in his ears to his brain.

A chorus of voices answered, Ed's one of them. "If by alright you mean partially deaf and for the moment unable to see shit, then yes, I'm just fucking peachy Mustang."

"Glad to hear it." The sound of a clap just barely registered, and before he knew it Ed found himself blinking in the sudden light, dim as it was. Mustang had set fire to a vase of flowers sitting on one of the bedside tables. Before the fire could extinguish itself, Roy clapped again, transmuting the vase into a makeshift lantern.

"What the hell, doesn't this place have a back up generator?" Havoc spoke around the cigarette he was currently lighting now that the rules had been thrown out the window.

"Yes, but I get the feeling that whoever did this thought of that."

A soft chuckle drew everyone's attention back to the Nosferatu, who was standing just outside of the ring of light. A shiver ran up Ed's spine. All that could be seen of Alucard were his eyes, glowing hellishly in the gloom. Ed wondered vaguely if it was a reflection of the firelight, or something else entirely.

"You knew this was going to happen." Mustang's voice was deadly in a way that Ed had only ever heard a few times.

A grin appeared below his eyes, fangs glinting sinisterly. "Now now human, save your discipline for the creatures currently flooding your precious hospital."

"What?" The word barely made it past Roy's clenched teeth. Ed was almost sure he could hear them cracking under the strain.

"You heard me. From what I can tell, there's at least….twenty of them, if not more. I can only see where I know to look."

"Alucard…" Ed felt the lamp-like eyes fix on him. "Did you have anything to do with this?" He tried to keep his tone as neutral as possible, but he had a feeling that his emotions would be interpreted regardless.

"No." His tone was curt, almost deadpan, but he'd be damned if he didn't hear a bit of annoyance there.

Ed nodded, knowing full well the creature could see him before turning his attention back to Mustang. "I think for now we should take him at his word."

Mustang gave him a dark look, before nodding slowly. "Fine. Breda, Falman, work on evacuating the building. Hawkeye and I will go out and eradicate the enemies that have found their way into the building. Fuery and Havoc, go down and get an alert out, if they haven't noticed the situation already. Ed, I want you outside. Find whoever it is that did this, and don't let them get away if they haven't fled already. _I want them alive, _Fullmetal. Bound, gagged and chained if you have to, but make sure they get the pleasure of witnessing first hand the lovely accommodations over at Central Prison."

"What, you think I'm going to kill them?"

"Use your head, Edward. Men who start things they can't finish have a tendency to try to take the easy way out."

Ed blinked. "Oh. Right."

"Alright, you have your orders, now go. Just be wary, we don't know what we're up against."

A chorus of "Yes sir!" and the room became far creepier as all but Ed, Mustang, and Hawkeye left. And Alucard, Ed had managed to forget the man was there, as entrenched in shadows as he was.

"And what of me?"

Ed frowned, realizing that he, not Mustang, was the one being addressed. "What?"

"What will you have me do? Shall I tear them limb from limb, and use their heads to decorate the lawn as a warning? Should I paint the walls with their blood, and soak the carpets with their misery? Just say the word and I'll slaughter them, those dogs that would oppose you! Your enemies will fall before me, and they will know fear as they never have before!"

Even after the words had gone, their shadows still hung about Ed, holding him motionless and mute. The pure and simple glee that infused itself into every syllable made his stomach churn. Finally he managed to wrench his eyes from the demonic glow of Alucard's irises, looking instead to Roy and Riza.

Both were staring where they knew Alucard stood, but only Riza looked as horrified as he felt. Roy, on the other hand, was stony, his jaw set and his expression blank. Only his eyes betrayed his emotions. "I believe he's talking to you, Fullmetal."

Ed blinked, not having realized that Mustang had been watching him from the corner of his eye. Slowly he turned back towards the glittering eyes and Cheshire grin. He knew damn well he couldn't say yes to something like that, but if Alucard really wanted to help…."No. If you want, come with me. But you heard Mustang, we aren't killing anyone."

The grin shifted until it was barely visible. "As you wish."

* * *

Next chapter: TERRORISM. No really. A bit Passé you say? Weeeeeeeell, too bad. It's barely in the 1900's here, terrorism isn't the cult cliche' it is in the here and now. So...TERRORISM.(thank you robot chicken for gifting me with this annoying skit to mimic until the end of time. The people around me thank you.) btw, the only relation between the chapter title and the chapter? Mustang setting his bedside decorations alight. Were they roses? Doubtful.

deadpan riot


	9. Monster Mash

Just to reiterate:_  
'anything like this' _the thoughts of whomever's POP it's in  
**_'"anything like this"' _**is talking telepathically (apostraphies before quotation marks)  
_"'anything like this'" _is english (quotation marks before apostraphies)

Chapter 9: The Monster Mash

Summary: Alphonse meets the man in red; Ed and Alucard meet their first foes of the night

* * *

Ed looked back to the colonel, who was still eyeing the space Alucard was occupying warily. "Hey Roy, do I get permission to go check on Al, or do I have to do it behind your back?"

"Either way you're going to do it. However, since you asked, I'll refrain from getting angry with you." Mustang flashed him a smirk, then with a quick gesture to Hawkeye was gone.

"Come on." He moved swiftly to the door, checked to see what the state of the hallway was, then moved as fast as he could to the room he shared with Al. The hallway, though dark, was just barely navigatable. Only once or twice did he run into something or other, and only a few times more did Alucard have to grab him to keep him from colliding with something. An action that, while confusing, was appreciated, which Ed voiced with a meager "Thanks."

Upon reaching the room he thought to be his brother's, he kicked in the door when he found it locked, only to be greeted with the shriek of an elderly woman. "Oops, sorry, wrong room." He shut the door as best he could before fixing it with alchemy, ignoring all the while the laughter of the man accompanying him.

After a third wrong room, Alucard spoke up. "Would you like me to show you which room you're after, or are we going to spend the night startling old women?"

Ed huffed, not wanting to admit defeat, but not wanting to waste anymore time either. "Fine. Since you can see in the dark and all." Alucard didn't correct him, putting to rest the sneaking suspicion Ed'd had ever since they'd started off on this journey.

The Nosferatu swept past him, walking just fast enough that Ed had to jog to keep him in sight. Without warning, Alucard stopped, spun on his heel and made a grand gesture at the door he'd come to stand by.

With a rye, thank-you-ever-so-much gesture, Ed stopped to stand next to the man, trying the handle. It was locked, of course.

"Allow me, unless of course, you _want _to continue inducing cardiac arrest on unsuspecting fools."

Ed opened his mouth to retaliate angrily in his brother's defense, only to become suddenly lost for words as Alucard leaned uncomfortably close. The Nosferatu smirked mischievously at him before a soft click drew his attention, doorknob turning in his loose grasp. Looking down he was startled to see a red clad arm removing itself from the depths of the solid wood door. "Uh…Thanks." He wasn't sure why he was so surprised, considering he'd seen him do much the same thing the first time they'd met.

The No Life King made an 'after you' gesture, to which Ed rolled his eyes and opened the door. He'd barely taken a step inside when he felt something solid connect with his face, stars exploding before his eyes as the ground made fast friends with his ass. "OWWHATHFUH?" The words came out more slurred than he would have liked, his mouth affected by the sudden numbness that had descended when his nerve endings had short circuited. He was vaguely aware of laughter coming from somewhere above him.

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Alucard's POP  
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He couldn't stop the laughter, the scene was just too damn priceless. The younger brother's horrified look as he tried to hide the bed railing behind his back, the older brother laid out on the floor with a broken nose and busted lip, a vague, confused look on his face. From the moment he got within 10 feet of the door he'd known the other kid was lying in wait, but hadn't expected him to be able to muster up enough strength to actually do any damage. Apparently the wasted visage was stronger than it looked.

"Oh no! Brother, I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you! I heard the explosion, and then the lights went off and people started screaming and-"

Ed cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand. "'M 'lrigh, nah li'e ehvn' 'en 'id ahfor." Blood sprayed slightly with each mangled word, the scent of it burning a hole in Alucard's stomach. Even mingled with spit and snot, virgin blood alit upon his senses like no other. He pushed the animalistic urge to attack away, forcing the solidity of the hospital and the situation it contained to settle itself firmly in his mind.

"Uh…" A confused look crossed Alphonse's face, railing drooping slightly as his mind raced to try to figure out what he'd just been told. Alucard decided to translate, lest they be there all night. He had things to mutilate and people to…well, mutilate.

"I believe the gist of that mangled sentence is, he's been hit before, so any brain damage that could occur, already has." A sly grin split his face as the kid jumped visibly, noticing him for the first time.

He chose to ignore the younger blonde at the sound of the elder trying to form words of protest at the not-so-subtle insult. Without preempt he reached down and grabbed hold of the back of Ed's shirt, lifting him easily despite the fact that he weighed more than he should have, and setting him gently back on his feet. Alucard surveyed the alchemist for a moment as he tried to get his bearings, before turning his attention back to the room's occupant. "Perhaps you should fix him before he manages to repaint the entirety of this god-awful floor with his blood." Not that he wouldn't be happy to see the kid have a row with whomever was left of the hospital staff about it.

"Wha-oh! Right!" Alphonse rushed to stand before his brother, wobbling slightly on too thin legs. Alucard watched in silence as the guardrail was released in favor of the door-jam, golden eyes surveying the mess that had once been called a nose. "Wow brother, I really did a number on you…" Ed scowled and Al looked sheepish. "Right, sorry." He let go of the door frame, slapping his palms together. "Hold still!"

Alphonse held his palms to Ed's face, not actually touching the wound. Small, intricate arcs of energy danced in the space between their flesh, captivating him. The No Life King watched with great interest as the alchemy simultaneously stitched and reconstructed Ed's face until it looked as it always had, albeit more bloody.

"I'd say thanks, but since you did it in the first place, I think we're even." Ed grumbled good naturedly as he used the back of his sleeve to wipe away the leftover blood.

"I said I was sorry, brother. Besides, you shouldn't have snuck up on me like that! I thought you where one of the attackers! I mean, usually, you just kick the door in."

Ed turned slowly to look at him, a semi-manic smile on his face. "You hear that? Usually I just kick the door in…"

Alucard cocked an eyebrow playfully at him, not at all affected by the way the words were ground out. "Yes. It would seem your making an ass of yourself is how others differentiate you from the enemy, bravo." He watched as the newly healed face scrunched up into a scowl. Leaning down so they were nose to nose, Alucard cut off the angry come back. "You shouldn't make such faces, you might hurt yourself." He watched with satisfaction as the golden eyes opposite his widened, pupils contracting at the sudden intimacy of their relative positions. The soft tone he'd used had obviously done it's job in distracting the teen from the actual words he'd spoken, the lack of fist in his eye telling him as much. And he hadn't even had to use his quote-un-quote 'sex beam', as he'd once heard it called.

"Hey, um, Ed? Can I talk to you?"

He straightened as Ed blinked, looking dazedly over at his brother. Alphonse's eyes were going back and forth between the two of them, a look of barely concealed apprehension on his face. "Wha-oh. Yea, sure."

Alucard didn't even bother pretending he wasn't listening, as was apparently polite(or so his Master's had told him). Instead he closed the door and leaned against it, arms crossed, watching as Ed lead Al back to sit on his bed, chuckling to himself when the former managed to stub his foot on something or other.

With Alphonse seated on the bed, and Ed standing before him, Alucard listened to their whispered conversation, his keen senses allowing him to make everything out as if they'd deemed to include him. After all, he hadn't been told expressly _not _to eavesdrop.

"Brother, who is he?" The only eye of Alphonse's Alucard could see flicked to him before returning to Ed.

"He's, well….God, according to Father."

"G-god?"

"Heh, well, he's not actually 'God' per se'…" Ed trailed off, and Alucard knew the kid was finally realizing how little he knew about the Nosferatu. "Look, remember when I told you we won because we had God on our side?"

"Yea. And I asked what you meant, and you wouldn't tell me because you said it could wait until later…"

Ed laughed sheepishly, and Alucard found himself feeling slightly affronted that the kid didn't feel the need to tell everyone about the guy who'd saved his ass. _Twice_. Was it twice? He thought so.

"Heh, well, I sort of didn't expect any of this to happen." _'Obviously' _Alucard added mentally to himself. "But, uh, anyway…." Ed hooked a thumb over towards where he stood. "I was referring to him. He's the 'God' Father pulled from inside the World's Gate."

Again Alphonse's gaze was on him, a calculating look in the single eye. Alucard flashed him a toothy grin, and the eye narrowed. "Brother…"

"Look Al, I know what you're thinking. But he's offered to help, so for now he's our ally." Alucard found great amusement in the phrasing 'offered to help', but didn't say anything.

Alphonse sighed, then nodded. "Right. So." A golden brow rose. "Does Colonel Mustang know you're here?"

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS ASSUME I-" Ed made a strangled noise before exhaling loudly. "Yea, he knows. Now-" He put his hands on his hips, voice regaining it's usual cocky measure. "You gonna come quietly, or do I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you the entire way?"

"What? Brother what're you-ED! PUT ME DOWN!"

Ed grinned over at Al, who he'd grabbed and, as promised, slung over his shoulder. "Re-lax, I've got this aaaaaaall under control."

Alucard laughed, phasing backwards through the door as he did, just for Alphonse's amusement(or his really, since it startled Alphonse more than it did 'amuse' him). Opening it for them from the outside, he made another overly exaggerated 'after-you' gesture.

Ed swaggered out into the hall, and Alucard followed directly behind them, watching as Alphonse attempted to get his brother to put him down, with no success.

"You should be thankful he's carrying you. Otherwise it might have taken us days to reach the ground floor." Alucard tried to keep the comment as neutral as possible, but still got a scowl for it. "You should also be thankful that here, you don't have backless hospital gowns." The last bit was a thought that had just randomly entered his mind, but had stuck with ludicrous tenacity.

Alphonse blinked owlishly, momentarily forgetting his predicament as he processed the information, before a slight blush rose to his cheeks. "Why wouldn't they have backs?"

Alucard shrugged. "Why indeed. I always just associated it with the perversion of the human mind." Which was true, he really had never put much thought into it.

Alphonse looked at him oddly. "Are you-you're not human are you." Golden eyes swept over him, although, in this lighting, how much of him was visible to the human ocular was questionable.

"No."

Alphonse lapsed into silence, studying him. Finally, as if coming to a decision(Alucard hadn't been listening to the inane prattle of the two kids' minds.) Al offered his hand, doing his best to meet eyes he couldn't see. "I'm Alphonse Elric."

Alucard chuckled softly. "So it falls to the younger to observe the niceties." He eyed the hand but didn't offer his own.

"Hey shut up!" Ed paused momentarily during his outburst, before continuing on again as if nothing had happened.

Alphonse sighed, propping his chin in the hand formally held out in greeting, elbow resting on his brother's back. "Do you have a name? I don't want to have to refer to you as 'that guy in red' for the rest of the night."

"'His Masters call him Alucard'." Ed's imitation of him was horrible to the point of being funny, idiotic hand gestures and all. At Alphonse's questioning look, Alucard made a vague 'he's right' motion with his hand.

Although he looked a bit confused, Al nodded. "Ok. Alucard." When he realized Alucard wasn't going to say anything further, Al sighed and lowered his head, resting it against folded arms.

They continued on in silence for awhile, save for some cussing here and there on Ed's part when he learned he'd be taking the stairs.

"Of course the elevator's out brother, how could it possibly work with no power?"

Ed grumbled and stomped off. Alucard followed, growing bored. So far, they hadn't encountered anything scarier than a trolley of bedpans. This was something that needed to be remedied, and with a little help from his various senses, the answer came to him. "Edward." he stopped moving as he spoke, waiting for the alchemist to turn with a huff.

"What."

He gestured to the floor. "The human round up your…_friends _are in charge of, is currently happening beneath our feet. Maybe we should leave the kid with them, so we can get on with the _mission_."

"_No_, let's bring Al _with _us to the fight…of course I'm taking him to Breda and Falman! Yeesh, what do I look like? Wait, don't answer that."

Chuckling, Alucard floated towards the huffy kid, who's eyes grew wide at the sight. Before Ed could unfreeze himself, Alucard grabbed hold of his free arm. With a grin, he began to phase through the floor, pulling Ed and Al with him.

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Ed's POP  
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By the time his mind registered the fact that Alucard was, indeed, _floating _towards him like some demented specter, he had a whole new horror to come to terms with: he was disappearing through the floor. It was the strangest sensation he'd felt to date, and far too similar to the sensation of passing through the Gate for his liking.

"Brother, what's happening?"

He could feel Al squirming about on his shoulder, and after ascertaining that Alucard wasn't planning on letting go, tightened his grip on his brother's legs. Instinct demanded he close his eyes, and so he did, waiting for the sensation to pass and solid ground to once again find his feet.

The feeling of weightlessness ended, but the hand didn't remove itself from his arm. He wasn't sure if they'd come to a stop, his body still buzzing with the foreign power that had momentarily taken it over.

"You can open your eyes now." The voice was tinged with humor that was momentarily lost on him.

Very slowly he complied, cracking first one, then the other open, making sure things were back to normal. Suffice to say he was not expecting the sea of faces he was met with.

"Ed?"

Fully opening his eyes, he grinned sheepishly at first Falman, then Breda, who looked as though they'd just seen a ghost. Or someone just magically walk through a ceiling, which was actually a hell of a lot weirder.

The two men (as well as all the patients they'd been able to gather) looked between him and the Nosferatu, who'd finally released his arm. "How-?"

Ed quickly waved their questions away, not at all ready to begin to try to explain Alucard's magic powers, since he had a feeling the Nosferatu wouldn't. "Never mind, not important, tell you later." As he spoke he walked to a gurney that was being used to push a few of the patients unable to walk quickly enough. Being as gentle as he could, he set Alphonse down on it, the other occupants making room for the still-emaciated boy.

"Alright Al, I've got to go find whatever asshole's behind this. Keep an eye on these two eh? " He jabbed a thumb over towards Falman and Breda.

Alphonse nodded, a weak smile on his face. "Ok. Just be careful brother." Ed couldn't see where his eyes momentarily moved to, but had a feeling it was someone tall, and wearing an obscene amount of red.

"C'mon, you know me, when am I not careful?" He gave his younger brother a winning smirk, the response of which was a slow shaking of the head.

"That's what I'm worried about."

Patting Al on the shoulder, Ed turned to Breda and Falman. "Good luck, and make sure you take good care of my brother, or else." He flashed them a wicked smirk, to which they raised their hands in defeat and promised to do just that.

Turning to Alucard to inform him they should get going, he was thrown off by the fact that the Nosferatu was looking over his head, a feral half grin on his lips. "It would seem the first round of entertainment has found us."

"What the hell are you-" The sounds of one, then two, then many screams cut him off. Ed spun about wildly, looking for the source of the commotion. Unfortunately, his height was working against him, the heads of the patients blocking his view. "Damnit!"

"Brother, come up here, look!" Alphonse grabbed at his arm as he spoke, motioning over the now unruly mob of people.

With a quick nudge to the guy next to Alphonse, Ed managed to climb up onto the gurney next to his brother, and through the sea of panicked faces, was able to make out that there were _things _moving around behind them. He couldn't tell what they were, or what they were doing, but from the sound of it, it wasn't anything good. Ignoring the fact that the gurney was not the steadiest of things to stand on, Ed did just that, putting a hand on his brother's head to steady himself.

"Brother, what is it? What's happening?" Alphonse shook his pant-legs, but Ed wasn't paying attention.

"Chimera's." Ed watched as the strangely proportioned creatures moved toward them. They were following the noise, the scent of blood that their companion had caused. The companion that was currently gnawing on some poor guy's leg. Who happened to still be alive, although for how long was uncertain, the feathered cat like creature was taking huge chunks out of his flesh, shaking the limb at various intervals. There was blood everywhere, and if someone didn't do something soon…

Ed blinked, snapping himself out of the stupor he'd fallen into. For whatever reason, that seemed to be happening a lot lately, and it was really starting to annoy him. He looked down at his little brother, who still had a hold of his legs. "They're using chimera's, there's at least four of them that I can see. Stay here and help Breda and Falman look out for these people as best you can, but don't strain yourself, ok?"

Alphonse nodded, his face going from wide-eyed apprehension to steadfast determination. "Right."

Ed turned, intending to ask Alucard to help him, only to find the Nosferatu was gone. He scowled. "WHERE THE HELL DID HE GO?" Grumbling obscenities under his breath, Ed scanned the hallway, but didn't see any indication of the Nosferatu.

"Ed!" Again Al shook his pant-legs, drawing his attention. As he turned to address the younger alchemist, a streak of red caught his eye. He snapped his head up so fast his neck cracked, and for a spilt second he felt stupidly dizzy. _'note to self: don't do that.'_ As he rubbed the back of his neck, he looked for, and found, the No Life King.

Alucard had grabbed the tail of the bird/cat chimera and yanked it away from it's still-breathing meal. In retaliation, the beast had whipped around, latching itself onto the nosferatu's forearm. Ed watched as the beast shook it's head, malformed beak tearing through flesh and bone alike until with a sickening squelch, it'd managed to tear the arm from it's owner. Alucard laughed, seemingly ignorant of the blood spilling idly from the mangled stump, other hand still firmly grasping the beast's tail.

Spitting the limb to the floor, the chimera again turned to it's assailant, this time bending in on itself to get a hold of the other arm. It managed to get a hold of Alucard's hand with it's beak, which Ed noticed was filled with jagged teeth. At the same time, one of the taloned forefeet clamped down just below the elbow, and a second later the beast had rolled it's body, tearing away the limb in it's grasp.

Alucard's laughter escalated, the chimera dropping it's prize to eye him warily. Ed watched as the creature coiled it's legs under it, a warning shout lost amidst the tumult of the people and monsters crowding the hall. The force of the impact sent the two crashing into the wall, feathers falling to the floor as they were jarred loose. The chimera, pinning Alucard to the wall, shook it's head, having somehow managed to stun itself(Ed would bet a 100 cenz it had to do with the large hole next to Alucard's shoulder).

The laughter abruptly stopped, and over the noise of the people around him, Ed heard the Nosferatu's deep baritone. _"'My turn.'"_

Black masses shot forth from the stumps, forming swiftly into fully clad arms. Without missing a beat, the No Life King grabbed hold of the beak that had shot towards his face, holding it open and at bay. Predatory grin sliding onto his lips, he twisted the deformed, feathered head, before ripping the jaw apart. The motion was smooth, separating not only the lower jaw, but breaking the neck as well. The body hit the floor with a thud, jaw soon following.

Pushing himself from the now cracked wall, Alucard stepped over the thing, managing in the process to break one of the legs beneath his boot. Now facing the three other creatures that had come to a stop some 5 feet away, Alucard looked back over his shoulder, flashing Ed a grin. _**'"Are you going to fight with me solider boy, or do you plan on overseeing the fight from your step stool?"'**_

Ed jolted at the sudden voice reverberating through his skull, recognizing it as Alucard's despite the fact he never saw the man's mouth move. "What?" _'the hell?'_

_**'"You heard me, kid."'**_

He felt the heat rise to his face, anger making him grind his teeth without realizing it. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT HE LOOKS UP AT ANTHILLS AND THINKS THEY'RE MOUNTAINS?"

"HA HA HA, YOU!" The second the words left his mouth, the man became a red blur as he shot towards the wary monsters that had been trying to stare him down.

At the same time, Ed had shaken off Al's hands and leapt from the gurney, landing atop some guy as he did. Not even bothering to apologize, Ed picked himself up and shoved his way through the last of the crowd. As soon as he was clear of the people, he slapped his hands together, then threw himself into the wall. From beneath his hands a wave of plaster and wood erupted, gaining girth and speed the closer it got to it's destination. As it reached the chimeras, the wave broke, and spikes and fists erupted outwards, catching the beasts off guard. Not waiting to see the damage he'd caused, Ed bolted forward, repeating the process with the floor, making sure not to hit Alucard in the process. That, however, was proving hard, considering how fast the man could alter his position to gain the upper hand.

The closer he got, the more gruesome the sight before him became. Blood spatters and smears covered the walls, ceiling, and floor; feathers, skin, teeth, and god knows what else littered the floor. Gouges from claws and spikes only added to the chaos he'd managed to create with his alchemy, and only one of the beasts lay unmoving on the ground.

Ducking around Alucard, who was fending off both remaining beasts at once with a feral grin on his face, Ed caught the one closest to him square in the face with a left hook. The goatish head jolted to the side with the force, allowing Alucard to get a better grip on the thing's horn. A powerful twirl of his arm sent flipping onto it's back to crash into the wall once he'd let go. Horrible bleating noises erupted from it, the sound distorted by the black blood gushing from between it's lips. Seeing that Alucard was dealing quite enthusiastically with the final chimera, something that looked like a cross between a gorilla and a lizard, Ed moved to take care of it.

Mismatched legs kicked wildly, crashing into the wall, adding to the damage and gore. As Ed neared, the chimera twisted the more reptilian back half of it's body about, somehow managing to get a hold of the wall and flipping itself back over. The creature was battered and bleeding, an obvious limp in it's step as it swayed back and forth. Ed knew the maneuver, having grown up in the middle of the country, and sure enough, it reared up onto it's hind legs. Taller even than Alucard, it looked down at him with crazed eyes, head cocked and neck stiff. For the breadth of a second they held eyes, and Ed didn't dare blink. With surprising speed and deadly force the chimera lunged, but Ed was ready. Bone met metal, the automail leg snapping the horns and crushing the skull, sending the monstrosity flying back into the wall which gave beneath the weight. Ed lowered his leg, trying to ignore the jangling of his nerve ending as he watched his foe become buried in plaster and wood. A trail of blood slowly began to leak from beneath the rubble, and nothing moved save for the dust.

He turned to see how Alucard was fairing, only to be met with a somewhat disturbing sight: the Nosferatu had pulled the chimera's limbs off, using them as weapons. Legs stuck out oddly from where they were embedded in the torso, the creatures coat matted with blood. It still lived, still fought, but was only able to writhe and bite, Alucard standing above it, taunting it, letting it get just close enough before moving away.

Ed shuddered, disgust boiling in the pit of his stomach. "Just kill it already…" The childish way his voice cracked at the end only furthered the horrible feeling.

Alucard looked up at him, grin faltering only for a second before returning full force. "As you wish." His attention turned back to the monster lying before him. A swift movement of his foot brought death, the resulting gore somehow managing to get on everything but the Nosferatu.

Ed looked away, turning his attention back towards the group of people they'd been protecting. They looked fine for the most part, discounting of course the looks of horror plastered on every face. And the guy that had earlier been made into a snack, he didn't look too good. Alive, but barely.

He moved towards them, the soft thud and squelch of boot steps behind him indicating the No Life King was following. He saw to the injured man, did everything he could for him, before seeking out Al. His younger brother greeted him with wide, almost haunted eyes, eyes that reflected the inhuman pinpricks of red behind him. Looking over, he caught Breda and Falman's eyes, motioning for them to join him.

"Look, I don't know how many more of these things there are, or if Mustang and Hawkeye managed to clear a way out." He looked between them, honestly wondering if between the three of them they'd be able to handle more chimera attacks. "But I think it'd be safer if we all went together and-"

"I think not."

Ed spun about, his anger somewhat dulled when he realized that Alucard was directly behind him. The No Life King was frowning down at him, arms crossed and glasses cockeyed so he could look over them.

"We've wasted enough time already, and this is growing tiresome. If we are to catch your criminals, we should do it now before they loose nerve and run away….or get bored of waiting for a confrontation."

Although annoyed, he knew Alucard had a valid point, more or less. Chewing his lip semi-unconsciously, he turned back to Alphonse, who was eyeing Alucard. "Al-"

"He's right brother." Al's eyes shifted back to him, gold irises burning with resoluteness. "Go do what you have to do, we'll be all right."

He clasped his brother's shoulder, Al throwing him a reassuring smile.

A crash and the tinkling of broken glass drew his attention, automatically putting him on the defense. A Cheshire smile met his gaze, and Ed sighed. Alucard had, at some point, wandered over to the nearest window and proceeded to neatly smash the glass away. He was beginning to get the feeling that you couldn't take this guy anywhere.

With a last nod to both his brother, and his two brothers-in-arms, Ed moved swiftly to where Alucard was waiting. Glass crunched beneath his boots, the breeze floating in from outside carrying with it the scents of fire and death. He could see that there was a haze of dust and smoke lingering in the air, the hospital grounds now lit only by the glow of fires burning out of sight.

Ed eyed the building and the ground, making the calculations for the mental array he'd need to get down without killing himself. He glanced over at Alucard, who'd turned to face the night, a light grin on his face.

"Such a beautiful night for a fire-fight." The No Life King pivoted slowly on his heel, leaning back until he fell through both the wall and window, his smirk the last thing Ed saw before he disappeared into the darkness waiting below.

Shaking his head at the man's antics, Ed slapped his hands together then touched the sill, molding the building to suit his need. With a last glance back at the group of people in the hall, Ed followed Alucard into the darkness.

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a/n: ok, I know I said there were going to be terrorists in this chapter, but hey, chimeras are like...terrorist henchmen. The terrorists _would _have been in here, but this was getting lengthy. And their union was being a royal pain in the ass. Coffee breaks? Perhaps. Drug stashes and sacrificial virgins? I don't bloody think so. Damn terrorists. ;D

tune in next time for more monster murderin's. They cure cancer, and, are magically delicious! (not really)

deadpan riot


	10. life, death, and everything in between

a/n: It's finally finished! I reworked this chapter more than a few times over the past however many months it's been since my last update, lemme tell ya.(don't worry, I won't really bother with all the boring details, or whatever.) I want to thank you guys for having patience with me, especially since i went from a fairly decent updating rate to a shitty, drawn out one. I still can't believe I've managed to write something with 10 chapters without losing interest, or changing my original base outline...Well, enough of my babbling! On with the story!

Just to reiterate:_  
'anything like this' _the thoughts of whomever's POV it's in (for this chapter, it's all Ed)

Chapter 10: The Living, the Dead, and Everything in Between

Summary: In which Ed finds himself starting down a path that will have him questioning everything he thinks he knows; Including life, death, and everything in between.

* * *

Ed's boots hit the ground with a soft thud, the alchemist immediately crouching and surveying the area around him. He'd come out in a courtyard, the soft grass muffling the noise of his prosthetic limb. It did nothing to hide the light from the transmutation he'd just done, however, and he couldn't be sure the residual smoke from the fires had hidden it.

Eerie shadows littered the landscape, making it hard to tell what should be there, and what shouldn't. The dancing firelight wasn't helping either, making him feel as though he'd fallen into some sort of hellish nightmare where even the trees could turn out to be blood thirsty monsters.

Slowly he stood, a glimmer of unease skating through him. Ignoring the general chaos, it was ultimately too quite, and what's more, Alucard was nowhere in sight. _'How is that even possible? He stands out like a goddamned sore thumb!'_ Ed huffed, trying not to grit his teeth as he made his way towards the heart of the attack.

The alchemist slunk from shadow to shadow, all senses on high alert. The lack of monsters unnerving him a little as he tried to hammer out a mental game plan. If it had just been human enemies, all he'd probably have to do would be to overcome the leader and force him and his men into submission. Unfortunately, that sort of tactic didn't work so well on chimera's, who would continue to do more or less whatever they pleased regardless of their 'master'. Ed silently cursed the things into oblivion.

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Five minutes of stalking later found Ed nearing not only the end of the courtyard, but the beginning of the conflict as well. The roar of flames eating away at everything in their path, the thunder of gunfire and a shrill chorus of screams grew steadily louder in his ears as he ventured on. The lighting was getting better, but visibility was still dodgy as hell.

An unintelligible shriek, answered by laughter that made his skin crawl drew his attention, effectively distracting him long enough to trip over something and fall face first into the wet, sticky grass. Ignoring the slight throbbing in his newly flesh and blood arm, Ed flipped himself over to look for the thing that'd sent him sprawling. A leg, severed mid-thigh, lay innocently next to his foot. His gaze immediately snapped up, scouring the ground around him. Only now that he was looking for them did he see them; limbs, torsos, shadowy objects that could only be bits and pieces of humans littered the area. Slowly, he lifted his hand to his face, eyes widening as he realized why the grass was so slick. Blood, darkened by ash and dirt streaked across his skin, collecting in the grooves of his palm and the scars that he barely ever took notice of.

With more effort than he would have liked, Ed managed to stifle the rising horror he felt, as well as the bile that had risen to the back of his throat. Determined to put an end to this, he moved to climb to his feet, only to be thwarted. A hand latched itself onto his wrist with bone breaking intensity, nails digging into his skin as it yanked him back to the ground. Startled, and already more than a little on edge, Ed swung at his assailant, fist colliding harshly with a face.

The hand didn't let go, even as the head snapped back, nose now nothing more than a pulpy smear that marred the pale face. A guttural noise tore from the man's throat, head lowering to stare at him. The eyes that met his sent fear racing down the alchemist's spine. There was no distinction between iris and pupil, the color dull and the gaze seemingly emotionless. Blank, soulless eyes; the eyes of a dead man.

Ed jumped as the man grabbed his other arm, thrashing against the inhuman strength as his survival instincts kicked in. The things mouth opened, growling and moaning like an animal as it made to lunge, and he just barely managed to get his foot lodged against it's chest. It took three good kicks from his automail leg to dislodge the monster from his space, the last sounding as if it'd broken more than a few important things. He didn't care, the second it was away from him Ed scrambled backwards, sliding a bit as he regained his feet.

Within seconds he'd transmuted himself a blade from the ground beneath his feet, looking wildly around for more of them. His limited field of vision was devoid of life, sending his attention back to his assailant. From this angle, he was able to get a better look at the man, what he saw both startling, and confusing. Though the uniform was smeared with blood and ash, it was unmistakably that of a Briggs soldier, and what's more, both his legs had been severed. The stumps were a bit bloodied, but weren't actively bleeding, which Ed didn't think possible since they were clearly fresh wounds. Questions exploded inside his skull, the pace of them making his head feel light. He watched as the soldier drug itself towards him, blank eyes boring into him as it continued it's litany of noises.

He didn't know the why, or even the how, and he felt torn between wanting to kill the bastard, and not wanting to hurt one of Armstrong's men. The hand that reached out and grabbed onto his pants leg decided for him, sending his weapon straight down between the thing's eyes before he had a chance to check himself. The mutilated solider stilled instantly, dropping into a heap at Ed's feet.

With a grimace he turned and fled, determined to figure out what the hell was going on and put an end to it. He jumped and skirted around more fallen men and limbs, encountering only two more of the bastards before he'd managed to escape the courtyard.

The sound of his feet hitting the concrete was smothered by the sounds of fighting. The area was littered with carnage, bodies and weapons covering just as much ground as the blood and bullet casings they'd shed. And in the center of it all, a mob of white-clad soldiers were converging, movements oddly disjointed. He could see a few with guns, firing at something he couldn't yet see, the rest lunging much as the one who'd attacked him had.

He knew, simply by the way they made his hair stand on end, that these things, whatever they were be it men or something other, were the enemy. Without slowing his pace, Ed slammed his hands together, only slowing enough to set loose his transmutation. The concrete erupted around him, lifting him and sending him forward, a barrage of fists careening ahead of him to slam into the group. Before they had a chance to retaliate, Ed'd leapt from his perch, punching and slicing anything within arms reach. Once he'd got his footing, Ed crouched, swinging a leg out to knock away a soldier that was too close for comfort.

Despite his best efforts, they kept coming, no matter the wounds he inflicted, still they got back up. He soon realized it wasn't just tenacity, either. He'd caught one of them in the stomach with his blade, cutting him to the point that his intestines spilled out at his feet; He'd watched as the man stumbled back, caught himself, then continued his assault, as if nothing had happened.

"What. The. HELL?" Each word was punctuated with a swing, his adrenaline spiking as his mind told him to give it up and get the hell out of there.

Maniacal laughter erupted near him in response. Ed turned toward it, only to jump back as one of the men fell towards him. The body hit the ground with a thud, a neat, fist sized hole where the heart should be. The blonde looked up, eyes meeting a pair of familiar, wild crimson eyes. "Alucard!"

The Nosferatu's smirk widened into a feral grin before he turned, grabbing the nearest soldier's face in the palm of his hand. Within seconds the skull in his grip cracked under his strength, blood and brain matter squirting out between his fingers. A vicious jerk of the No Life King's wrist and the body and head were separated. Alucard laughed, tossed the head once into the air as you would a ball, then threw it towards the transfixed alchemist.

Ed jumped, pivoting just in time to see the severed head collide with the face of another one of the soldiers that'd been coming up behind him. The head snapped back and the soldier fell, face caved in from the force of the hit. The severed head(or rather, what remained of it) bounced off into the darkness.

"Just because they can see over your head doesn't mean they don't realize you're there, little boy."

Ed ground his teeth, turning back to stare daggers at the laughing man. "_I'M NOT SHORT!"_ Alucard only laughed harder, and Ed'd had enough. He threw his hands together with a snarl, the alchemic reaction sparking viciously around his limbs and reflecting eerily off the Nosferatu's eyes. The alchemist dropped to one knee, slamming his hands flat on the concrete hard enough to make everything below his elbows sting. The transmutation exploded around them, tearing the ground up and molding it to his will. All the while his eyes never left Alucard's, watching them as they watched him.

Finally he let go of the power, sparks fading and bits of concrete and dirt falling unused to litter the warped ground. He stood, panting slightly to survey his work. The area he and Alucard occupied was mostly untouched, save for the scorch marks and residual dirt and debris. The area around them was another story entirely. The concrete was cracked, and in some places, missing all together. Great, gaudy cages had formed around the remaining men, who clawed and shoved at the bars once they'd regained their bearings.

The alchemist surveyed the one nearest him, the man missing an arm and a chunk of his torso that revealed at least two broken ribs. "What the hell's wrong with them?" He heard the Nosferatu chuckle, the sound coming closer despite the lack of footsteps. He glanced over his shoulder to see Alucard standing behind him, eyeing the caged soldier with a thoughtful(if somewhat vicious) look.

"They're dead."

Ed blanched, eyes snapping back to his captive. "What? No they aren't, they can't be, dead things don't just get up and walk around…" Another chuckle drew his attention, and this time he was met with the eyes of the other man.

"Oh? Are you _sure _about that, _human_?" His tone was smooth as silk, and tinged with something dark, something poisonous. It snaked into the alchemist's mind, caressing it, even as it made his heart constrict in fear.

Ed repressed a shudder, trying and failing to tear his eyes away from those of the creature before him. They glowed enticingly with their own internal light, something the blonde couldn't name flickering within them. "I-" Memories leapt from the depths of his mind, pounding into the backs of his eyes with brutal realism. All of them of Alucard, and the seemingly violent deaths he'd suffered in his battle with Father. Ed shuddered as he came back to reality, uncertainty planted firmly in his mind. "I don't know…"

The hellish gaze narrowed, lips thinning. Something akin to a growl reached the alchemist's ears, smoothing out the higher it climbed into the Nosferatu's throat until it seemed more akin to purring. The noise rolled easily into words, adding slightly to the accented vocalization. "Don't you? The proof is right before your eyes."

Ed turned back to the caged man, who was staring unblinkingly at him and gnashing his teeth. By all rights, the soldier should have been dead, bled out from wounds no man could come back from. And yet there he stood, railing against his imprisonment as if he had not a scratch on him. The alchemist spun slowly, taking a good look at the menagerie he had created. As the calculations burned through his mind, a chill crept into his limbs.

"How. How is this possible?"

Alucard met his gaze, the aghast stare reflected in the scarlet eyes going unnoticed by the one creating it.

"This, is what happens when deflowered humans are bitten by a vampire." The pristine white of the Nosferatu's glove clashed harshly with the backdrop as it swept outwards to indicate the nearest 'exhibit'. "Empty, ravenous, bags of meat who know only their hunger, and the call of their Master; _Ghouls_."

Ed shuddered despite himself. He had no idea what a 'vampire' was (although it sounded annoyingly familiar) but he was certain that there was no way in hell he'd ever let himself be bitten by one.

"Come Fullmetal, you're wasting time."

Ed blinked, then cast around wildly for the creature that had yet again disappeared from his side. _'Now where the hell did he disappear to-'_

"Over here, Elric. Perhaps if you stand on your toes you'll be able to see me over the dirt clods you dislodged with that temper tantrum."

A vein twitched cheerily above his eye as the insult sunk in. "_WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT A PIECE OF DIRT COULD BLOCK OUT THE SUN IF HE STOOD NEXT TO IT?" _

Alucard cackled. "So you _can't_ see over them?"

Whatever restraint had been keeping Ed company decided that now would be a good time for a coffee break, leaving the blonde wide open for a meltdown. With no thought in mind other than making the aggravating man in red _shut the hell up_, Ed let loose a crescendo of destruction that made his palms sting and his eyelashes singe. Huge chunks of concrete came free of the ground, seemingly throwing themselves at their unmoving target. Within seconds the Nosferatu was gone from sight, swallowed by the jumbled mess of a transmutation crushing him down from all sides.

Dusting himself off, Ed made to walk pointedly past the obtrusive mound of rubble, only to stop short as a piece of it was broken off and dropped not an inch from his toes. Before he could come up with a witty remark, or walk around the obstacle, another chunk of his masterpiece came crashing down. And lo and behold from out of the dust emerged a familiar white clad hand, followed by an even more familiar crimson-clad body.

'_God, this guy's a fucking __**cockroach**__!'_ He met the feral grin of the No Life King with his own 'if-I-could-burn-holes-in-you-with-my-eyes-I-would' stare. Instead of instilling terror, the only effect it had on the Nosferatu was to make his grin stretch inhumanly wider.

Ed watched warily as Alucard gracefully removed himself from what remained of the structure, half expecting retaliation. Instead, the No Life King dusted himself off as if being entombed was an everyday thing. It probably was. Scowling, the alchemist navigated his way over the mess they'd made, pointedly looking anywhere but the chuckling man behind him.

"Not bad, Elric, however if you wish to incapacitate your enemy, you have to fight with the intent to harm. Not encase them in _dirt_."

Ed clenched his teeth and pushed forward, stomping a bit more than was probably necessary. The sounds of amusement behind him stilled, allowing the eerie noises of a night filled with death to settle back inside his consciousness.

"I know we have so far forgone stealth-"

Startled by the sudden voice at his ear, Ed jumped higher than he would later admit to, whirling to face the man floating by his side. A fact that took more than a few seconds for the alchemist to wrap his mind around. People didn't just float over the ground, there was a thing known as gravity that tended to thwart such things.

"How the hell-Do you obey _any _of the laws of physics?"

Alucard flashed him a half grin, continuing to face the alchemist even as he floated towards the fiery hell they were headed towards. "But you should really try to walk more like a human, and less like a water buffalo."

"Hey, don't ignore me I asked you a ques-_what do you mean water buffalo?"_ Ed leapt forward in an attempt to catch the smug bastard, but Alucard had already disappeared into the smoke and darkness. Fuming, Ed made his way into the cloud of smoke billowing forth from the still burning building, using the sounds of violence to guide him.

XxxxxxxX

Sleeve covering his mouth and nose, Ed squinted into the haze, trying to make sense of the chaos around him. Chunks of building cast gargantuan shadows against the smoke, backlit by flames that had raised the temperature enough to make him sweat substantially. Wiping his free arm across his forehead in an attempt to keep the perspiration there from getting into his eyes, he scanned what he could see of the immediate area for a flash of red. Nothing.

"Alucard?" He'd barely put any effort behind the word, but still his voice cracked, smoke rubbing his throat raw.

"Over here, Fullmetal."

Blinking away the tears trying to clear out his itchy eyes, the alchemist headed towards the place he'd heard the Nosferatu's voice drift from. It didn't take long before he found himself standing before a chunk of what was once a wall, blinking stupidly at the man that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. Considering how brightly colored his outfit was, Ed should have been able to see him from where he'd been standing when he called out, the place they stood now not five feet from there. He would have questioned it, had his voice been behaving(ignoring the fact that now probably was not the time, or the place), but just breathing was becoming difficult.

Alucard was looking down at him, head cocked slightly to the side and eyes aglow, a truly disturbing look on his face(from what Ed could see of it).

He cocked a brow in question, knowing full well the Nosferatu would be able to see it, regardless of visibility level.

The red pinpricks sparked, smile twisting to reveal more canines than Ed was comfortable with seeing, especially with the way they glittered despite the lack of direct lighting.

"I have found your…_terrorists_." The words were spoken so softly, that Ed was amazed he could hear what the other man had said. The peculiar way they seemed to come into existence right next to his ear, coupled with the way they seemed to twist around next to it, especially the emphasis on 'terrorists', sent a chill skating across his skin.

Ignoring it, Ed moved his arm just enough to mouth the word 'where', before quickly replacing it. Unfortunately, ash still managed to find it's way onto his tongue.

The No Life King's eyes widened, then shifted swiftly to the left. "Ten feet in front of you." His words had softened almost to a purr, traces of glee only apparent when coupled with the look on the demon's face.

Tearing his gaze from the somewhat frightening sight Alucard presented, Ed moved silently to press up against the wall separating them from their targets. Using his free hand to guide him, the alchemist moved along the wall until his fingertips grazed the jagged edging. Stealing himself for a potential attack, Ed peered around their cover.

At first, all he could make out was vague, moving shadows that looked suspiciously humanoid. Then, a breeze gusted in, shifting the smoke from the flames enough that Ed could clearly make out the figure standing on what remained of the front entrance's stairs. Shock jolted sharply down his spine, concern for his throat and mouth being overrun by ash forgotten as he sucked in a stifled gasp, now using both hands to support himself against the wall.

"_**Buccaneer**__?"_

* * *

a/n: Oh-ho-ho, the plot thickens! And yes, I'm well aware Buccaneer died. Alucard's presence in this AU handily throws the Amestrian rulebook on what dead people can and cannot do out the window.

Until next time (which hopefully will be sooner in coming than this time was),

Tatty-bye!

deadpan_riot


	11. Night's End

**Chapter 11: Night's End**  
Summary: Ed faces off against Buccaneer, once allie turned foe

**Ed's POV**

* * *

"Oh-ho, you know that man?"

Ed flinched as he realized how close Alucard had gotten to peer around their cover. "Yea. I mean I did…He was killed by Fuhrer Bradley."

The Nosferatu shifted again to look down at the alchemist whose space he was invading. "And the body?"

"What about it?"

"What was done with it after it was no longer warm?"

"It was supposed to be taken back to the north, to be buried with the rest of the Briggs soldiers who had no families to receive the bodies. Tradition or something. But the train was lost on the way, along with the soldiers that went ahead to make arrangements."

He glanced up when his words were met with silence. The nosferatu was gazing out thoughtfully into the smoke, gloom tracing eerie patterns in the reflective eyes.

"Is he like those others? I mean, I know he's a walking corpse-"

"No."

"Then what-"

"Why not go find out for yourself?" Alucard flashed the alchemist a sly smirk.

Ed scowled. "Fine. But if you decide to follow me remember, the orders were to take them alive."

"Even if they're already dead?"

Narrowing his eyes at the grinning creature, Ed slid from behind his cover, moving as low and fast as he could without attracting attention. He made it to a new hiding place closer to their targets, peering cautiously out into the gloom to look for an opportune point of attack. The alchemist hissed. "_Fuck_."

Buccaneer was gone.

"Looking for someone, kid?"

Ed jolted, instinctually ducking to the side seconds before a meaty fist crashed into the wall where his head had been. Dropping into a crouch, he slammed his palms together, dodging left to avoid being impaled on the claws of the signature Mad Bear automail. Concrete cracked, showering Ed with dust as the metal limb lodged itself firmly in the hunk of wall. Seeing his chance he took it, smacking his hands to the crumbling surface. A brief spark of light, and the wall was once again whole, fused flawlessly around the automail hand.

Buccaneer turned slowly to look at him, once dark eyes burning a livid shade of burnt umber. Ed shivered. There was nothing of the man he remembered in those irises, nothing he even recognized as human. The mountain of a man laughed in derision, booming voice cutting through the air like a buzz saw. A fluid tug, and more dust was sent spiraling as Buccaneer freed himself, grinning manically.

Ed took no time in putting distance between himself and the hulking soldier, using alchemy to raise the ground beneath them in an attempt at capture. Buccaneer leapt before the reaction could reach him, startled golden eyes following his swift ascent. He leapt backwards as the soldier-made-monster crashed back to earth, slamming a fist into the already unstable ground. Ed felt the shockwave jolt his legs from where he had paused some ten feet away, drawing minerals from the earth to create himself a weapon.

Buccaneer leapt at him, seeming to momentarily disappear as he covered the ground between them in milliseconds. Ed managed to get his home made sword up in time to block what would have been a deadly blow, the force of the hit throwing him backwards. He landed hard on his ass, sword clattering broken and useless beside him. Guttural growling erupted far too close behind him; Ed spun, at the ready, only to get a face-full of congealed blood in the face as the monster's head was blown into bits.

Alucard laughed like a kid at the carnival, hoisting the massive rifle he'd pilfered from god-knows-where against his shoulder.

Scrubbing the goo from his face, Ed pointedly ignored the man, turning back just in time to throw himself away from the barreling monstrosity that was Buccaneer. The former soldier charged again, forcing Ed to defend himself with his automail leg. Every successive blow was harder, jarring his nerves until he could barely feel the limb.

Buccaneer latched onto his ankle, automail claws groaning as they crushed the metal in their grasp. Before Ed had time to properly register the shrieking metal and the loss of feeling in his foot, he was whipped about and thrown like a rag doll. He just barely managed to catch himself before anything vital was smashed against the ground, although the spinning in his head didn't let him appreciate the fact much.

The din around him was oddly muted, gunshots he knew to be close barely registering. Laughter waved in and out, but he wasn't entirely sure it was Alucard's.

"How sad. I tear apart a hospital full of kids and old biddies, and all they send out in retaliation is a child."

Ed shook his head in an attempt to clear the fog, anger boiling in his gut. "I…am not…a _KID_!" The ground he lay on erupted in a flare of blue, the transmutation he released catching Buccaneer off guard. The former soldier was thrown back, body pummeled by the massive stone fists that had risen from the ground at Ed's command.

Pulling himself into a sitting position, Ed unleashed wave after wave of alchemic energy, sending bludgeons of varying types to hammer Buccaneer from every angle. For every one the massive man managed to dodge or disintegrate with a blow from his automail, three more took their place. Ed climbed painfully to his feet, stealing himself as the final wave shunted Buccaneer right to him. Howling in rage, teeth barred to reveal bloodied, broken fangs that reminded Ed eerily of Alucard, Buccaneer swung. Ed caught the giant metal fist in both hands, sparks erupting as the transmutation tore apart the once fine piece of equipment.

Crashing harshly to the ground, the once proud soldier howled in pain and outrage, clutching at the singed flesh where the automail port had once been. Unnerved, but not wanting to lose his chance, Ed palmed the ground as near to the man as he dared get, sending layer upon layer of concrete to rise up and wrap firmly around Buccaneer like a man being strapped to a bed at a psych ward.

Ed watched him struggle until he was satisfied the man wasn't going anywhere any time soon. "Who's the kid now?"

Buccaneer hissed, burning eyes boring unblinkingly into Ed's. He was a mess, the uniform he wore tattered and filthy, once neat braid knotted and mangled. Ed noted the pallor of his ash streaked skin, and wondered for the first time how in the hell a dead man was struggling for freedom at his feet.

"What's the matter kid, I scare you?" Buccaneer flashed him a predatory grin derived of any real mirth.

Ed shifted his weight fully onto his good leg. "No. What scares me is that you should be dead. It's not possible to bring the dead back to life, yet here you are. Care to explain?"

"Why should I explain anything to you?"

"Because I'm not the one spread out on the ground like a frog waiting to be dissected."

Buccaneer laughed. "Dissected? By who, you? Ha! If you planned to kill me, you would have tried it already. Why don't you run along and get the adults to do their job, instead of sending some freak kid to fight me."

Ed frowned, gears in his head turning as he gazed down into the face of the man he once knew. Except it wasn't, it couldn't be. There was no recognition in the eyes staring hatefully back at him. "You're not really Buccaneer, are you?"

More laughter. "Sure I am! At least, that's what they told me after."

"They?"

Buccaneer sneered, obviously enjoying Ed's unease. "The ones who derailed the train and slaughtered everyone inside. You should have seen it, the way they painted the walls with blood. But don't fret your tiny little head, boy. They made sure to give everyone inside a second chance, I even got to help."

With great difficulty Ed smothered the urge to break the man's nose. "These people have a name? Or did they not think you were someone worth telling that to?"

More derisive laughter. "That's not going to work on me, kid. You want to know who I answer to, why don't you go find out for yourself eh? I'm not telling you anything."

"Having trouble?"

Ed started at the sly voice beside him, throwing the nosferatu a glare. The gunfire behind him had ceased without fanfare, his attention diverted sufficiently enough to not even notice apparently. The rifle Alucard had been toting was gone, as well as the fedora and glasses. Crimson orbs danced over the prone man before them, knowing little grin in place.

"I don't need your help, damn it."

Ed turned his attentions back to Buccaneer, who was staring off at the horizon and flexing his remaining arm absently. The sun would be up soon.

"Alright, I'll bite. If I want to find out for myself, where do I start?"

"Why not start by letting me go?"

"Not an option. You're going to stay there until Mustang decides what to do with you."

"Well this 'Mustang' better hurry."

Frowning at the foreboding tone, Ed glanced at Alucard. The nosferatu was no longer watching Buccaneer, his attention instead fixed on the horizon beginning to bleed with the colors of dawn.

"What do you mean he 'better hurry'? What're you planning?"

"Not whatever you're thinking, kid. Don't let that tiny brain of yours burn out _worrying_."

He scowled, pain, frustration, and indignation churning his gut to pieces. "Look asshole, whatever game you're playing at is pointless. In a few hours they'll have you locked up in some tiny shit-hole prison cell where you'll never see the light of day again. Cooperate now and maybe they'll give you a window."

This time it wasn't just Buccaneer who laughed. Ed spun on Alucard, who was cackling like a mad man. "What the _hell_ is so damn funny?"

Alucard's laughter died away, leaving a nasty grin in its wake. "You'll see soon enough."

Ed followed the nosferatu's gaze. The sun had crested the horizon, wave of light creeping its way across the courtyard to them. All three had descended into silence, watching the approaching light as if it were some life altering event.

"What exactly is it I'm waiting for?"

Alucard didn't bother answering. He didn't have to. The silence that had descended around them erupted in blood-curdling screams.

"What the hell?"

Buccaneer laughed until his voice cracked, head turning away from the horizon back to his captors. "Time's up kid,"

The light crawled languidly over the soldier's prone body, smoke erupting in its wake. A sickening sizzling of flesh erupting in cracks, light eating away at him as the soldier barred his teeth in a horrid smile. Within seconds Buccaneer's body combusted, erupting into dirty flames that tore away flesh with the ease of a fine knife.

Ed watched, horrified as the man became a skeleton, and the skeleton became a pile of dust. The sun lit upon his skin, warming him as it always did. Rubbing his arm absently, Ed turned to look at Alucard. The nosferatu was staring absently at the pile of ash at their feet.

"It would seem your dedication in taking your enemies alive was in vain. The others will look much the same. A pity, you're plan being made to fail from the start, all of them being already dead."

"Shut up."

Alucard hid his grin beneath the brim of his hat as Ed transmuted a makeshift brace for his automail leg. "What will you do now?"

Ed paused, gaze shifting momentarily to what was just minutes ago Buccaneer. "Figure out what the hell is going on."

* * *

a/n: a bit short, I know, but I've been working on ironing out how to connect plot points together. Thanks for being patient with me guys.

deadpan_riot


	12. innocence is perception

"'_this'"_ is english, i.e a foreign tongue in Amestris.

_Amestris, a country already stained in blood, must prepare itself once more, lest it drown in sorrow and destruction.  
_

**Chapter 12: Innocence is Perception  
**summary: a reunion, a change of perception  
**Ed's POV**

* * *

"Elric!"

He glanced around, managing to catch a glimpse of Mustang through the crowd of people. Without preempt, he shoved his way unapologetically between bodies, silently cursing the squeaking metal attached to his torso. Not only was the damn thing hindering his ability to move, Winry was going to be pissed.

"Mustang."

The Colonel didn't respond at first, eyes taking in the dirt, gore, and damage obvious on his person. Ed huffed, crossing his arms impatiently. "Some time today would be nice."

Roy handed off the clipboard he'd been holding to the soldier at his side, shooing him off with a glance before turning fully to his subordinate. "Fullmetal, why do I get the feeling that you weren't successful in your mission?"

Ed scowled. "Are you saying I'm incompetent?"

"Did you capture the person responsible?"

He felt his mouth open, but nothing came out. After a moment he closed it, staring moodily at the floor.

"Well? It's a yes or no question Fullmetal."

"I caught him."

He could almost feel Mustang's brow raise at him. "And? I'm assuming by your behavior that something went wrong."

"He's dead."

"Edward…"

"I didn't kill him!" He refocused his glare to Roy's face. "Alucard didn't either." He took a breath, and then continued in as controlled of a voice as he could. "The sun did. And judging by all the screaming, the rest of the men I took prisoner did too."

"The sun."

"I'm not lying, damn it!"

Mustang was quite for a moment, eyes darker than usual as he surveyed the younger alchemist. "My room, one hour. Bring the…Alucard."

Roy turned away in dismissal, Ed throwing him one last moody scowl before stalking off to find Al. Needless to say, traversing the half destroyed hospital corridors was a hell of a lot easier in daylight. Although it did throw into sharp relief the extent of the damage, right alongside the crimson spatterings staining the wallpaper.

"The reek of death is intoxicating, almost as if we stood in the center of a warzone-"

"We are, idiot."

The disembodied chortling of the alchemist's seemingly unshakeable shadow drifted about him. Ed didn't know or care exactly where the nosferatu was, the floating voice more than enough presence at the moment. He was tired, filthy, and from the looks of it had a long day to look forward to.

"If you're looking to know what became of your brother, perhaps you should take a left."

Ed paused, staring down the indicated hall. The lack of windows made the space seem dark and forlorn, the tossed furniture and off color streaks lining the linoleum adding to his tension.

"Why do you hesitate? Are you afraid of what you might find?"

Ed shivered, a chill skating up his arms. He _knew_ Alucard was toying with him, looking for a reaction. He turned his head, expecting to see an empty hallway, but was instead met with a wall of red. The alchemist started, taking a step away from the man looming in his personal space.

Alucard smirked down at him, head cocked slightly to one side. "Well?"

Ed shook his head, muttering 'I'm not going to bother with you right now' under his breath as he stalked off down the hall, unconsciously avoiding the dried trails zigzagging about beneath his boots.

The further down the hall he went, the quieter it became, walls seeming to press in around him. He was being led toward the heart of the building, the lack of windows making it hard to differentiate between the objects scattered about him, not all of them pieces of furniture either.

The alchemist shuddered, the atmosphere of the place giving him a bit of the creeps. It was, really, kind of like how he felt about Alucard. That sort of wary, weirded out feeling that hovered at the back of his mind regardless of what rationality told him. "Wish the damn maintenance crew would get the generator working already-"

A hum cut through the silence around him, seconds later accented by the pops and snaps of the lighting fixtures overhead fighting for life. A particularly nasty snap of a light bulb frying directly over head making him jump.

The hallway was thrown into sharp relief for the most part, although far too many lights were stalling and flickering for his liking. It gave the place more of a horror movie feel than the darkness had, especially now that it was painfully obvious what the streaks on the linoleum were.

Ed absently ran his hands over his arms, picking up his pace as best he could. Up ahead he could make out a figure sitting in a dark patch of hallway, posture and outline vaguely familiar. He glanced back the way he'd come, somewhat confused. "Alucard?" The head turned just enough for the glasses perched on the shadowed face to flash crimson.

"How did you get ahead of-you know what? Never mind." He came to stand next to the nosferatu, arms crossed. "Well, since you seem to be leading me around by the damn nose, where the hell do you want me to go now?"

He watched the grin slide fluidly into place, chin tilting upward to indicate the room across from them with the least amount of movement possible.

Ed turned, eyeing the room. It was dark, whatever light fixtures it had previously held obviously not in any working order. He also noted one of the hall windows was broken and smeared with blood. A chill ran down his spine; it was too quite.

'_Oh god, this doesn't look good…If Al's hurt, or worse…'_ He cut himself off, refusing to go any further in that thought. No use worrying about a bridge until you had to cross it, after all.

Stealing his nerves and squaring his shoulders, Ed stalked slowly into the room, not really sure what to expect but wary of anything. At first there was nothing, no sounds, no movement, no signs of life. And then, halfway through the room he heard it: sobbing. His mind tunneled, and throwing all caution to the wind he made a beeline for the noise, mind spinning off every worst case scenario that had ever touched his dreams. "Al?"

A hiccup and hurried whispering. Ignoring the pain in his automail leg, Ed dodged around an overturned table, threw a chair out of the way, and then practically threw himself onto the desk the noises were hiding behind. A bloodied face and wide, terrified eyes met his gaze. Dark hair, dark irises, and just a touch too young, the face too full to be his brother. "Who're-"

"Brother!"

Ed swiveled, turning to see Al crouching on the floor near the boy's legs, eyes wide with surprise and a grin dominating his face. "You're ok!"

Al gave him a perplexed look. "Of course I am, why would you think otherwise? I _can _take care of myself, you know."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yea, I know, I know, it's just-" Ed suddenly remembered the cause for his worry. "Hey you bast-ah!" In the process of turning to yell out to the hallway, Ed had come to the sudden, startling realization that Alucard was standing directly behind his shoulder. So startling to his poor wound-up nerves, in fact, that he ended up falling off his desk perch and landing next to his little brother in a heap of limbs and complaining metal.

"Ed are you ok?"

"Bloody bastard! Stop doing that!"

Alucard chuckled, but otherwise didn't comment on Ed's grace, something that managed to unnerve the alchemist more than the creepy figure he cut in the darkened room.

Ed scowled up at the nosferatu. "You're an asshole, making me think Al was-well that's not the point. The point is-Hey get away what are you-"

Alucard had casually grabbed the edge of the desk and flipped it to the side, sending it crashing into the wall. He'd then leant down and clamped a hand over Ed's mouth, a sly grin on his face and annoyance burning in his eyes. "Perhaps if you shut your mouth and looked more closely at your surroundings '_boy_', you'd see my purpose."

Ed grabbed at his wrist and attempted to free his jaw. Despite the lack of force seemingly being exerted, Alucard was yet again unmovable. He arched a brow, and waited, still tugging periodically at the creature's arm.

"Uhm, Mr. Alucard, I know my brother has a big mouth, but do you think you could let him go? He might try to do something stupid."

Ed watched Alucard's eyes shift toward Al, then swivel back to a spot over his shoulder. Without changing his expression, the nosferatu's arm shot out, coat brushing Ed's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Alphonse.

A snarl choking on itself came from behind him, making him jump as adrenaline spiked in preparation. Alucard slowly turned his wrist, guiding Ed's head to the side.

"'_Look closely, human. Even in the early stages, a Ghoul should be easy to recognize. Do not disappoint me.'"_

After initially noticing the boy Alphonse was trying to help, Ed had promptly forgotten about him. In the time between his entrance and now, the boy had sat quietly behind them, and Ed had just assumed him to be scared.

He wasn't, for being scared was an impossibility for the body of the dead.

Frothing lips gnashed against nothing, trying to bite the hand clamped inches above it. Uncoordinated arms moving, trying and failing to grab at Alucard, who was quite unbothered by it. The boy whimpered, the sound quite human. The wounds on his legs, the ones Alphonse had fixed as best he could, had stopped bleeding, the blood begging to congeal. Wounds that looked suspiciously like they'd been made by teeth.

Ed stilled, eyes fixed on the dead boy twitching against the nosferatu's grasp. If Alucard hadn't led him there, hadn't bothered to intervene...

"You understand. '_Good'_."

The hand slipped away from his face but Ed couldn't find it in him to move, let alone retaliate against the invasion of personal space. Al's hand clutched at his shoulder, and the two of them watched in silence as Alucard tilted his head, observing the ghoul.

"I think it's time you acquaint yourself with the enemy, Edward Elric." Alucard shoved the boy back against the wall. "Kill it."

The hand on his shoulder clutched harder, twin pairs of golden irises watching the uncoordinated body pull itself back into a sitting position, head bobbing and slowly turning toward them. The dark eyes stared into his own, no longer projecting the terror of a boy. Dark pools of nothing but unfocused hunger, more unnerving than the dead eyes borne by every lost soldier he'd seen in the night.

"'_Kill it! Cut off its limbs, put holes in its body, crush its head! Kill it, Edward Elric! Prove yourself something other than a scared child faced with the boogey man! Prove yourself worthy!'"_

The foreign words sent sparks of adrenaline dancing over his skin, just as it seemed to propel the ghoul into motion. He, _it,_ lunged toward them, and acting on instinct Ed planted his boot square in the things mouth. He could feel the teeth give and the jaw buckle, spit and blood adding to the already filthy sole of his good foot.

The ghoul boy landed harshly on its back, gargling broken teeth and blood in its throat.

Ed shivered. Between Alphonse trying to strangle his shoulder and the creepy vibe of the whole damn place, he felt like his nerves were fraying. He watched as if from far away as the boy-shaped creature drug itself into a sitting position, toppled forward, and caught itself in a bid for its feet. It was a mess, lower jaw dangling at an angle, torn, broken, and dripping fluids; Legs torn apart and fraying, barely able to hold the thing upright, forcing it to struggle.

His fingers twitched, an array building in his head.

Back on its knees, unable to stand, the ghoul groaned, a deep sputtering whine reminiscent of a collapsing building. The sound of flesh being scraped off bone, the breaking of fingernails trying to gain purchase against the tile as the creature pulled itself forward.

He could see it clearly now, the alchemy circle in his mind's eye, could feel in that way he was still becoming accustomed to.

Closer, it was closer now, despite being slowed by quickly failing legs, rotting faster than the true dead.

The hand on his shoulder was gone, the smack of palms meeting and a split second light. The ground rose swiftly beneath the ghoul, a singular spike disappearing into the base of its throat and reappearing out of the top of its skull. The creature went still, held upright by the spike and its angle to the floor.

Ed turned to look at Alphonse, about to make an annoyed and half-assed diatribe about how he was getting around to it, and didn't need anyone to do his job for him. Al wasn't paying him any attention, eyes fixed on the ghoul he'd just impaled. The grim look on his face unbefitting of his youth.

"Al-"

"Sorry brother, but he was my responsibility. I tried to help him and failed."

He opened his mouth, more than prepared to dispute his brother's responsibility, but was cut off by the smooth voice of the nosferatu lurking in the dark.

"There was nothing you could have done. He was bitten, infected. Better to put it out of its misery, _'better to end the dream before it begins_'." Smoldering eyes were fixed on the younger Elric, ignoring the elder.

Al pulled the spike back into the floor slowly, the ghoul's body following until it was laying prostrate on the floor amid its own filth. Slowly, he turned his eyes on Alucard, molten gaze intense. "You know what these things are, what this 'infection' is."

"Yes."

Al pulled himself to his feet. "Tell us."

A sly grin pulled at the nosferatu's lips, head tilting in acquiesce. "As you wish, Alphonse Elric."

* * *

A/n: I know it's been a long time, and I know this is short, and for that I'm sorry. My minds been in the wrong place to write this, up until lately. Been writing too much light-hearted comedy.


	13. what doesn't kill you

Chapter 13: what doesn't kill you  
summary: a meeting that is anything but light hearted  
**Alucard's POV**

* * *

Endless, endless, amusement.

The solemn faces of the Elrics as they gave one another meaningful gazes, the buzzing of their thoughts as they put everything into perspective and began to formulate plans, plots, and worst-case scenarios.

Enter_taining_.

Perhaps his return to England and his Master could wait a little longer. It was so _rare_, after all, that he got to have this much fun.

"That settles it, we have to tell Mustang. Now. Who knows how many more people have been infected?"

Alphonse nodded, then pulled himself up off the couch he and his brother had commandeered. It was on the other side of the same room they'd found him in, the rotting body of the boy still where it had fallen.

Apparently he was the only one who could smell the shit and the rot.

Edward followed, wincing as he put weight on his metal leg, the complaint of the limb barely audible to human ears, rather grating to his. Apparently Al noticed as well, eyes darting to his brother's leg and a frown beginning to mar his face.

"Brother, what's wrong with your automail?"

Ed quickly waved him off, a false smile jumping to cover his discomfort. "Don't worry about it Al, just a few new dents. Nothing Winry can't fix."

He could clearly read the doubt in Al's face, but the younger boy didn't push the subject. He just gave Ed a "you aren't getting off that easily, but we have bigger problems at the moment so I'll demand the truth later' look and began to make his way down the hall.

Ed followed, shooting him a wary glance. He didn't bother demanding Alucard following, knowing full well the nosferatu would regardless of what he said or did. Such was the impression he had left of late.

Smirking in a placid, if absent way, Alucard brought up the rear, watching the two short blonde heads in front of him and the way they bobbed with their owners' movements. Even without being able to hear the complaint of the metal, he could still see the slight limp in Ed's movements regardless of how hard he attempted to cover it. He could also see the strain in Al's movements, the weariness in the malnourished body still far too thin despite the straightness in the spine and the purpose in the gait.

He felt his grin widen and take on substance. It really didn't surprise him, this determination the blondes in his life had. It was…enduring, if generally in a maddening way.

"So Al, why were you all the way down here? What happened to sticking with Falman and Breda?"

"We got separated."

Flashes of color, of noise passed through Alphonse's mind. High pitched screams, hurried yelling, snarling, drooling beasts and the splash of crimson he so dearly loved, all that chaos belied by such a simple, emotionless statement. It spoke nothing of the horrors he may or may not have faced nothing of the picture his mind painted for the only other being that could see it.

How quant it was, the boy stepping up into the role of man. Al was proving to be less like the impression he'd gleaned from the elder Elric at every turn.

"Did the two of you capture the leader?"

"Yea, but he managed to slip through our grasp."

He couldn't help himself, the chuckle sweeping up and out of his chest cavity. The lies of humans, and their love of manipulating outcomes through the use of wording, it never failed to tickle his sensibilities. He had, of course, been a master of it in his time.

The two alchemists glanced back at him, Al simply curious and Ed more than a little mutinous. "What're you laughing at? Thinking about strangling puppies?"

Al switched his now startled gaze to Ed, then back to him when he responded with "Something like that, but _sunnier_."

"Ha Ha, very funny."

He flashed them a fang-filled grin, watching the two of them hold a conversation consisting solely of facial expressions. He was already tingling with anticipation to hear the collective horror stories of the militia dogs, painfully curious about the violence and bloodshed he'd missed out on, and eager to see the reception such tales received.

Integra, he thought gleefully, would be quite displeased with him, had she been there.

-in mustang's room-

The chair he'd commandeered was far from comfortable, but he lounged in it none the less. He'd already played his lurking in the shadows move, so now he had to play his lounging about indifferently move. It was, after all, just as creepy if he'd already made a prime impression on those around him. And he was fairly certain he had.

So far the only people in the room aside from himself and the Elrics were Mustang, and the blonde woman whose name he couldn't remember but was pretty sure had to do with animals, or anatomy, or maybe both. It wasn't pertinent at the moment, so he didn't bother finding out.

He flashed the dark haired man a grin when next his gaze moved from the watch in hand to the outsider in their midst. The bite of that dark, distrusting gaze was intoxicating. Mustang frowned, eyes shifting to watch the woman winding a bandage around Al's hand for some scrape or another.

"Damn it!" A screwdriver punctuated the exclamation nicely as it bounced off the wall it was thrown at.

"Do try to contain yourself Edward, this _is_ still a hospital."

The blonde alchemist didn't even look up from his automail, having now resorted to trying to pound it magically back into semi-working order with his fist.

"Brother! Stop! You're going to make it worse!" Al made to stand as he spoke, but was sternly sat back down by the woman's hand on his shoulder.

"Make it worse? Ha! Real funny Al. I don't think it could get any worse then-OW _fuck_!" Ed grabbed at his hip with one hand while the other promptly undid whatever it was he'd just done to hurt himself. "Not a _word_." He grit out between clenched teeth, giving up on his endeavor to try to work the pain out of whatever muscle he'd managed to aggravate.

"Are you still capable of hobbling, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked sardonically, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Yea, how about I hobble over there and wipe that smirk off your ugly mug, colonel bastard?"

"That would be more threatening if I thought you'd be able to reach it."

"WHO'RE YOU CALL-"

The slam of the door against the wall dropped the room into silence, all present save him turning to inspect the source of the noise.

"_Shit!_" Ed made to rise at the sight along with the others, only to fall back as his leg told him to piss off.

Mustang was the first to reach the threesome in the doorway, the woman on his heels. As one they took the weight of the man being supported, Al dutifully closing the door behind them. The two men, covered in blood but in no dire need of medical attention, gave a cursory glance around the room before moving to tear it apart in search of immediate medical supplies.

"Report. _Now_. What happened?"

The blonde man, cigarette suddenly aparated and half gone, dropped down next to the woman to help her. "I don't know sir, we found him on the way back here. Haven't been able to get him to say shit."

Alucard focused in on the man they were crouched around, taking in the pallid skin and glazed eyes. The scent of terror and death wafted off him in waves, and it was clear he wasn't aware that his uniform was being torn and the stump where his arm had been was being hurriedly tied off and bandaged.

Mustang slapped him smartly across the face, waiting for the eyes to blink, shift, and focus groggily on him. "Falman, stay with me. I need you to tell me _what happened_."

A shudder ran through the soldier, images straight from the hellish depths of a child's nightmares flashing behind his eyes. Only Alucard bore witness, watching the man relive the fight for his life.

"T-they…out of nowhere, so many…killed…Breda…survivors…don't know if anyone…anyone got away…"

"Alphonse."

The boy was at Mustang's side in a heartbeat, eyes already darting, evaluating.

"Can you fix this? I don't need to lose anymore men today."

Al nodded, dropping to his knees where the other two made room for him. A clap of his hands, an arc of blue light, and the flesh began knitting itself over the bone and tissue left jagged and exposed by a yet unknown source.

Alucard shifted his gaze to Ed, who was still seated, absently rubbing out the last of the muscle pain and staring intensely at the scene before him, a frown denting his forehead. He was pleased to see the path the boy's mind was following, knew it was only a matter of time before the truth that was obvious to him became an overbearing suspicion to the alchemist.

Perhaps his lesson hadn't gone as far over the short, blonde head as he'd earlier thought.

"There, now he won't bleed to death." Alphonse stood and got out of the others' way, swaying a bit as he addressed Mustang.

The colonel placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "Thank you Alphonse. Go sit down, you need your rest."

Alphonse did as bid, though his eyes never left Falman, worry etched on his face.

"Al.." Ed faltered, tearing his gaze from the bloodied mess of their comrade to his little brother. "_"What happened?_"

He felt Mustang's attention shift, saw the muscles in the already tense body tighten further. Puzzle pieces, all of them scattered, one of them fortunately coherent and sitting not five feet from him.

"We made it to the landing of the first floor, but it was too quite, I should have known better. They were waiting, probably heard us coming down the stairs…"

_Darkness and eerie silence, choking his lungs along with the smoke and dust. Human noise all around him, panting, whispering, wailing; flesh against concrete as bare feet descended stairs, grunts as those aiding others were able to set down the burden of another human's weight. A prickling up his spine, the sense of being watched, being __**wanted**__ so reminiscent of his fights with the Homunculi that it sent his senses on high alert. A flash of movement, the snap that could be nothing but that of teeth against teeth, and he knew, in that instant, that they were not alone._

"I warned Breda and Falman just before they came at us.."

_Words, unintelligible in the heat of the moment but enough burst from his lungs, his body already reacting to the threat it knew was just beyond his vision. He was able to raise the barrier just in time, a solid thump signaling a body colliding with his defense. Yelling now, both panicked and commanding all around him, disorienting. A scream cut short and he's spinning in time to see a faceless woman falling beneath the crushing weight of the unnatural beast tearing into her. He can only register the gleam of scales and the flash of feathers before the light of his transmutation obscures it all, the creatures screech competing with the roaring in his ears._

"There were three of them, Chimeras. I killed one, wounded another, but the flying one…"

_Another shout, a familiar tone: Falman. He spins again, sees the beast pinning him to the ground and getting closer and closer to winning out against the arm holding it back. Another transmutation, this one aimed at the wall, sending a spear straight into the beast, catching it in the shoulder with a squelch and throwing it off balance just enough so Falman can move, the gun in his hand coming to rest beneath the disfigured maw and discharging into the overly large skull, brains erupting forth like a volcano to splatter the ceiling and rain down upon them. He reached them as the thing fell, shoving as hard as he can to help roll it off the now really pinned soldier before the weight crushes him. They manage to push the corpse aside, Falman turning, grabbing his offered hand, at the same time his eyes darting up, widening. Falman nearly yanking his arm from its socket as he pulls him down beside him, __**something**__ brushing past him. _

"It nearly took my head off. If Falman hadn't pulled me out of the way it would have. Instead it grabbed someone else…"

_The crash of the creature colliding with the wall, the skittering sound of plaster and concrete being dislodged by claws bearing too much weight, the begging of the man in its grasp, then the silence as his head disappeared down the thing's throat. A quick glance around revealing scattered corpses awash in blood, fleeing backs and cowering forms. Breda rushing to his side, yanking the two of them up, yelling something he couldn't make out._

"I told Breda and Falman to look after everyone, then lured the Chimera away…."

_Terrified faces, unsure what to say to his orders, but left with no choice as he moved, on instinct, on principle, on a need to protect, to do right by the two soldiers who'd already done so much for him. He locked eyes with the thing, ugly, bulging orbs that glittered wetly following him before the beast moved to follow. He focused on the wing beats, ducking in time to avoid the attack, feeling the talons scrape lightly over his back as he rolled back to his feet, chimera tumbling into the floor and wall, trying to right itself, to turn about. He waited until it saw him before dodging down a hallway, the sounds of it jumping from one wall to another behind him more terrifying than the wing beats that followed. Again he threw himself to the floor, this time transmutation at the ready. He caught the beast where the wing met torso with a chance floor spike, sending it careening to the side, screeching as its weight caused the wing to tear along its length before it crashed to the floor. The useless appendage flopped as the beast scrambled to regain its feet. It tried to put weight on the ruined wing, fell, caught itself and shifted its weight, turning with surprising speed toward him, lunging despite the injury. The disjointed movements gave him the opening he needed, but instead of catching it neatly in the skull the spike went into the thing's shoulder, throwing it sideways into the window. The glass pane shattered as the chimera fell half out of it, bloodied glass shards skittering across the floor. Darkness as he shielded his eyes, falling away once silence settled, to reveal the sight of a twitching body, half out the window, gurgling around the glass shard peeking out from a furry throat._

"I put it out of its misery, then backtracked. But there was no one in the hallway except the dead. I didn't know which way they'd gone, so I set off on my own to see if I could find the group, or one of the people that had fled on their own. I found a few, only one of them alive…"

_The darkened room where they had found him, crouched over the terrified boy and trying to convince him he was a friend. Trying to ignore the blood gushing from the wounds in his legs and put on a smile, keep his voice steady and comforting. Finally the boy relenting, begging him, pulling at him, keeping him from helping. The tears choking him, making need for more time wasted to calm him. And finally, finally when the boy is quieted, is compliant enough to allow him to begin healing him, a crash and a yell, and suddenly the tense feeling that hadn't left him since before he'd been separated from the group fell away in disbelief at the sight of blonde hair and golden eyes._

"And then you found me."

Ed, he noted, had become much paler since Al had started his little story. It made him wonder what color the boy would be if he'd been privy to the wonderfully painted scenery inside the younger boy's skull he'd just been privy to.

Mustang, back still to them, eyes still on Falman, broke the sudden silence with his even tone. "What happened to the boy? Where is he now?"

Both Elrics flinched, albeit to their credit subtly. "Dead." Alphonse.

"How?"

Ed and Al exchanged glances, then Ed spoke up. "He was infected by one of the soldiers-"

This got Mustangs full, unadulterated attention. He turned, gaze locking on Edwards. "Infected with what, infected how?"

Here Alphonse glanced toward him, the first person to acknowledge his presence since the whole ordeal started. He flashed the boy an idle grin, enjoying himself far too much to interrupt their little debriefing.

"He was bitten by one of the Briggs soldiers, who was already infected. It passes through saliva and blood, shutting down your body. Once you're dead, the virus takes control, reanimates your body and places you under the command of the originator. These things, Ghouls," Here Ed glances fleetingly at him. "Are mindless beasts, that unless told otherwise by their master will tear you apart and…_eat _you. They're no longer human, and can't be reasoned with. The only way to kill them is to destroy the brain or the heart, or sever the head from the spinal cord. They don't feel pain, and will keep going even with serious wounds."

"And their master?" Mustang's voice had dropped a few octaves, the disturbed look on his face growing by the minute.

Again another glance at Alucard. "A…vampire. When one of them bites a human, if they're…well, not a virgin, they get turned into ghouls."

He was aware, of course, that vampires had a place in this universe's myth, albeit a far less commercialized one. However it'd taken his descriptions earlier to get the correct Amestrian word from Edward, along with a brief description of his understanding of them. Which, it turned out, was nothing like what they were dealing with, and even further from what he was.

It was both amusing, and aggravating. He wasn't fond of playing teacher when it was for something so…_simple_, so _basic_. But he would, and he would enjoy it, even if it meant terrorizing every person within a fifty mile radius.

"Vampires. As in the obscure monsters of literature. You're telling me those are what started this?"

"Well…" Now two sets of golden eyes were upon him, drawing the dark gaze of Mustang as well, who raised a brow and waited.

He spread his hands. "In a sense. Although the pathetic creatures you call vampires are far from capable of such endeavors. It is merely the closest thing in your realm of understanding to what the threat truly is."

"And that threat is?"

"Beings stronger, faster, and more resilient to pain than you could ever hope to be, with an endless army of mindless drones to create more minions, to create even more minions, ad nauseam. And it would seem, if what you and these children have told me is correct, you no longer need to be alive to become one." That was the part that was new to him, albeit not too surprising. He'd dealt with millennium enough to kill any skepticism he might have held on the subject.

Mustang turned to Edward for clarification, not having to say a word to garner a response.

"The one leading the group was Buccaneer. Except he wasn't. He didn't remember me, and mentioned something about the person he was and the person he was now. I don't know if it has anything to do with Father or the Homunculi, but it reminded me of Greed."

Mustang was far more disturbed by the information than he let on. "And how long is the incubation period for this…disease?"

"It depends on the person, and how healthy they are to begin with." Alphonse. "The symptoms are subtle, at least from our perspective. Glassy eyes, sweating, loss of coherence…it's easier for us to assume anyone who was bitten by one of the ghouls, or a vampire, has been infected."

"And the chimeras?"

He watched as Ed and Al exchanged a glance, before turning to him for an answer. "They are whatever it is they were made to be. Soldiers with no sense of duty or control, pets that would rather tear your arm off than learn to play fetch…I neither know nor care what it is you use your lab created beasts for."

"Do they carry the infection?"

He rolled his eyes. The idiocy of humans. "Doubtful. The point of creating ghouls is to have functioning minions, or in this case an army that feels neither pain nor empathy. I find it highly unlikely they would partition those things for that cause, what with their insatiable hunger for _limbs_."

"A simple 'no' would have sufficed." Mustang turned his attention back to the three tending Falman. "Fuery."

The small, bespeckled brunette turned. "Sir?"

"I want you to send word through the hospital to the staff that anyone bitten is to be quarantined immediately. But do so discreetly. Causing a panic is the last thing we want to do right now. Tell them as little as possible, the less people trying to hide their possible infection, the sooner we can contain this."

"Yes sir!"

"And Fuery?"

The man paused in the doorway.

"Be careful, will you? Good help is so hard to find."

Fuery grinned, saluting his commander before slipping out into the hallway.

"Roy." The blonde man with the cigarette. He'd gone quite pale, his tone grim. "What does this look like to you?" He pulled back the fabric of the sleeve on Falman's still attached arm.

Mustang sucked in a breath at the sight. "He's been bitten."

The wound was paler than the area around it, the large chunck of flesh attached now only by a few pieces of skin had stopped bleeding, ringed now by a congealed mess that looked like it belonged on toast rather than in a body. The scent of rot was obvious to him, to the point he would wager a guess those closest to the man could smell it as well.

"How do we cure it?"

Mustang was met with silence.

"Well? Answer me!"

He waited until the colonel had turned to him, eyes threatening violence, before speaking up. "I believe your pet alchemist already answered this question." When Mustang continued to look at him, disbelief and willful ignorance etched on his face, Alucard pointed his fingers at his temple and mimed pulling a trigger.

Mustang looked to the Elrics, both of whom stayed silent. They'd already had this particular conversation, already run through their boughts of denial and bargaining.

Now the rest of them had to come to terms with the reality of the situation. The only cure was a bullet to the brain, and anything else was simply needless torture.

Mustang turned back to Falman, who looked more sickly than he had when he'd first arrived. He didn't have much longer. "Falman…Vato Falman!"

He watched with interest as the colonel strode purposefully to his failing subordinate, the remaining two soldiers parting to allow him to be front and center in the man's view. To his credit, Mustang catches and holds Falman's gaze, the 2nd lieutenant focusing solely on his commander.

"Sir?" His voice is croaky, but relatively strong considering.

"I need you to listen to me very closely, can you do that?"

"Yes…Sir."

"You've been bitten and infected by a ghoul."

A chuckle that sounds less like humor and more like something is grinding up his lungs. "Yea…Got me after…chimera. Back was turned, stupid mistake…."

"There is no cure. Do you understand? There's…nothing we can do." Mustang's voice was strong despite the thoughts in his head, a true commander. Alucard silently applauded him.

Falman took a deep breath, lungs rattling. "Sure…there is. You heard them..better than I probably did."

"Falman-"

"I've seen what those things are….seen what they do…what you become…I don't want that…I didn't sacrifice everything…to end it like that after everything…we've done." His voice was failing him, the effort it took to form the words wearing him down.

The room fell into silence as the words sunk into everyone present, Falman's labored breathing thrown into sharp relief because of this.

"I would suggest you make up your mind quickly, this isn't a decision you can take before a board and then sleep on, _colonel._"

Mustang threw him a fiery glance, clearly not appreciating having his sulking time interrupted. It was, after all, the main conflict in his mind, the loss of a beloved underling regardless of what he did. It was something these humans would have to acclimate to quickly if they wanted to stay on the other side of a gun muzzle.

"Falman?"

The dying man managed a small smirk. "It's been an honor…serving under you…colonel."

Mustang reached over to the woman at his side, who did nothing as he pulled the pistol from the holster at her side. "It's been an honor having you. Until we meet again."

"I'll give Maes your regards…"

Mustang bowed his head for a moment, pistol held rigidly in front of him. The two subordinates at his side saluted, the grin on Falman's lips growing just a little at the sight. "Thank you." He raised both his head and the pistol, eyes never leaving Falman as he pulled the trigger.


	14. a fine line

**quick content warning:  
**it only goes downhill from here guys. War is on the horizon, and this shit's about to get messy. Violence, death, destruction-if you've seen Hellsing (and I should hope you have) the OVA's/manga, not the original anime, well. You saw what happened to London, and everyone in it. Hell is roaring toward Amestris, and only Alucard knows what to expect.

_"this" _is telepathic communication

**Roy's POV**

**Chapter 14: a fine line (between useful advice and nightmare fodder) **

* * *

The gunshot tore through the quiet of the tiny room, the scent of gunpowder mingling with the scent of decay and blood. The body of his former comrade collapsed back against the bed, leaving a wide open view of the spattering on the wall where his face had been moments ago. The gun lowered once more to his side, slowly, the knuckles hidden beneath his gloves more than likely as white as the fabric covering them.

"The King has lost his first pawn in the game, how _titillating_." The velvety voice, all darkness and carnage wove its way into his mind. "Shot point blank by the man meant to guide him to safety. I was half convinced you'd let him turn first."

"Enough."

"I prefer a more…artistic approach when sacrificing minions to my cause, but at least you had the _spine_ to kill him _'face to face'_. _Bravo_." Slow, sardonic clapping echoed about the room, putting a look of disgust on the faces of the gathered.

"I said _enough_." He spun to face the grinning monster lounging about like royalty on holiday.

Hands stilled, the final crack echoed sharp and final. The gaze never shifted, the grin never faltered. "Do you know what would happen, should you allow one of them to live? Should you save your _friend _a bullet to the face because you know his name?" Alucard cocked his head, gaze dimming and grin smoothing into a line of bored contempt. "I don't think you do, not really. You've seen war, seen it in the mindless slaughter and infinite bloodshed that haunts your dreams, smelt it in the stench of burnt ozone that even still clings to you-"

He moved without thinking, gun leveling against a porcelain forehead. "Keep talking and another pawn gets sacrificed." A slight narrowing of the eyes was all the response his threat received.

"-but you've never truly lived it." Alucard continued as if uninterrupted. "Never willingly sacrificed those around you for your cause, never stood above it all and watched as your pawns fell _because they had to_. The fear of invasion, of loss far greater than yourself only a breath away, no contingency plan just luck and brutality to keep you breathing. All you've lived before incomparable to the monster waiting for you now, in the shadows of every man woman and child in your country. Hand crafted genocide and long-winded plans with gaping loopholes-do not expect such any longer. That you've managed so far in the tumult of this place with so few casualties close to home is astonishing, but do not expect that anomaly to continue."

"You're suggesting my men may die?"

Alucard brushed the muzzle of the pistol to the side with a slender forefinger. "I have played both sides of this game long before you, and will continue to do so long after your bones are dust. Your men _will _die; perhaps many in this very room will fall before you see the end. All you can do is throw the bones and pray to your God that you're choices will stymie the death toll and leave you victorious."

Crimson eyes once again flared, Mustang close enough now for the first time to truly see the endless, swirling abyss that lay behind them. It was ancient and knowing, that gaze, the truth of his words reflected in the centuries old stain of the irises. It chilled him, the echoes of warfare and bloodshed he couldn't quite explain away even as they faded from his mind.

"Save your friend a bullet and he will take more from you than the anguish garnered by the act." Point made, Alucard returned to the eerie grin.

Roy held the gun out, knowing Hawkeye would reclaim it without comment. The bastard may have been an insensitive prick, and a loon to boot, but there was wisdom in his words, behind their harshness, their taunting condescension. He called himself a king, a warlord, and Mustang knew that despite his distrust and utter abhorrence for the _thing_ sitting before him wearing the guise of a man, you didn't dismiss knowledgeable words simply because you disliked the mouth they came from.

"Hawkeye, get the furor on a secure line. Havoc, see to it that Falmon's body is dealt with properly, without raising suspicion. Fullmetal, join Fuery. Fill him in on the situation and assist in the detection of infected individuals. Alphonse, come with me."

The room had emptied as he spoke, Alphonse rising wearily to follow Roy into the hallway. A glance to the side, to further burn the scene into his mind, then Mustang made to leave the now-oppressive room. "And you-"He paused in the doorway, narrowing his gaze at the still-lounging not-God over Al's head. "Either do something useful or make yourself scarce."

Alucard didn't deign to respond, his silence as hard to read as the manic grin.

And as much as he hated the idea of leaving Falmon's body in the same room as the man, he didn't really have a choice. There was a hell of a lot to do when attempting to prevent a nationwide panic, especially when the threat was a disease no one could cure save the pulling of a trigger.

The door clicked behind them, the fresh air of the hallway doing little to ease the churning in his gut. Alphonse leant wearily against the wall opposite, looking every bit the kid he tried so hard not to be, just like his brother. "Come on then." The younger Elric followed him without complaint, silent as a specter through the remains of the hospital.

"How much of what he says can we trust?"

Al sighed, rubbing a hand over his gritty face. "Colonel, with all due respect why are you asking me? Ed-"

"Is far too hot-headed for his own good. You've spent enough time with him to give me a reasonable answer, Elric, and that's all I want. After everything you've seen, _can we trust him_?"

The blonde sunk onto the bed of the small room, commandeered by Mustang from a non-to-pleased nurse. "Alucard's-he's-he reminds me of Greed."

Hearing the two compared did little to ease his suspicions. "I can't see how that could possibly be a good thing."

"Probably not. But Greed came through for us in the end. Believe in him, and maybe he'll believe in you."

"Perhaps I should have asked your brother."

Alphonse shrugged. "Probably. But brother believed in Greed enough to trust him with his life. And Greed returned the favor, me sitting here now is proof of that."

A niggling at the back of his mind made him wonder if the kid was referring to before, or after, the battle with the Dwarf in the Flask Homunculus was won. "Any other worrying observations you'd like to share?"

"None that I can't offer without feeling like an idiot sir. I have plenty of suspicions, but nothing I can prove."

"_Clearly you're not trying hard enough._" Alucard's voice echoed merrily through their minds, his presence little more than a flicker in the corner of the eye and the feeling of bugs scuttling across the skin. _"Men who wait to act on their suspicions until they have tantamount proof are the ones that end up with a knife to their throat and all they swore to protect burnt and bleeding at their feet."_

"As much as I enjoy your little games, I've had enough of them for one night. Dispense with the theatrics, or I'll have a go at testing how fire proof you really are."

The creature's chuckle danced around the confined space, half in half out of their heads. Mustang waited in silence, half hoping the nosferatu would attempt to call his bluff so he could have an excuse for the slip of hand that would burn the monster's eyes from their sockets. The laughter faded, the room as devoid of the creature's signature red as it had been from the beginning.

Roy sighed in that melodramatically dejected way he often used with Ed. "Oh well, maybe next time." He turned to Alphonse, who was slumped against the wall. It was clear the boy was exhausted, asked to do far too much far too soon. "Get some rest, Alphonse. And if our dear crimson crusader should come to bother you," He flashed the boy the cheeriest grin he could muster. "Do feel free to transfuse him into the wall. Whatever interior decorator they hired was sorely mistaken on how much the elderly enjoy beige; a splash of color would do wonders to this room." And then he was out of the door and down the hall, watching the shadows out of the corner of his eye and waiting for the newest bane of his existence to reappear.

To the left, to the right, clinging to the wreckage and the shadows, spiders dogging his footsteps with an order and purpose that was nothing if not unnatural. Orchestrated, even. Roy smirked despite himself. Alucard's antics didn't frighten him, now that the creature had been confined to the constraints of their reality. Away from that initial battlefield, when the haze of shock and astonishment had cleared from his sudden arrival, the nosferatu appeared little more than a child. A child with incredible powers and a thirst for violence to quell the greatest of warlords, but a child none the less. Pranks and taunting, using their inability to comprehend as a means to string them along like a little boy making marionettes from insects.

"Poking dead things with sticks, and burning ants with a magnifying glass. Have I summed up your existence adequately, No Life King?" The hall he stood in was dim, the glass of the window before him facing away from the slowly rising dawn. It was one of the few still intact on this side of the building, decimated and deserted in favor of the less perilous parts seeping in sunshine to chase away the horrors of the night. He could practically feel the shadows behind him moving, seeming to dance in the pane's reflection.

"_Perfectly…"_ The shadows constricted and boiled, changing the view beyond the window into a foreign land smothered by night and serenaded with screaming in a foreign tongue. The horizon rushed forward, specs in the distance growing rapidly until they were discernible. Rows upon rows of towering spikes, each adorned with a corpse impaled straight through from groin to sternum. Blood seeped from wounds both old and new, a few chests rose and fell in the pained wails of a slow death but most sat vacant and rotting, eyes pecked out and uniforms torn and defiled. The once green grass was tainted red, flooded by more gore than the soil could ever hope to absorb, and in the distance the sky burned red, though with fire or sunrise it was impossible to tell.

"Good gods…" The reek of war burned his nose, the coppery tang of blood whispering across his tongue.

"_Poking the dead with sticks…" _Flames roared upward, consuming the battlefield until it was lost from view. _"Burning the ants in my kingdom…." _Orange tongues gave way to a new view, as horrible as the first. A village burning, flailing specs meant to be people screaming and fleeing; here one trying to stymie the blaze, there four trapped inside, choking on smoke as they lent from windows and watched in vane as their home was devoured. Men, women, and children locked inside to perish with everything they owned while soldiers looked on. Sobbing, screaming, begging in a foreign tongue to the tune of flesh boiling, cracking, congealing and slipping to warped floorboards to be consumed.

"Stop it…"

"_Building a throne of the dead to carry me to Heaven. Spilling the blood of kingdoms to protect my ideals, opposing the heathen filth in such a dance as to catch the eye of God himself so that he would climb down from on high and join in the battle to wipe those who worked against His name from the very face of the land they dared to sully…." _Figures cloaked in cream and violet whipped past on horses, hollering rallying cries to the legions suddenly on the forefront of the horizon. Men fell to their swords before they in turn fell, joining the mess of dead, becoming one in the same now that they were so much litter upon the landscape. War raged furious and unforgiving, the cacophony deafening the scent of unwashed bodies, of death and shit and steel overpowering.

"I said stop it!" The tinkling of broken glass was loud in the sudden quite, the pain in his hand throbbing with the nerve endings rubbed raw in every other inch of his body. Cool air ruffled his hair; sweet scent of morning and that odd smell distinctly Central brushing away the stench that had bile rising in his throat. Roy lowered his hand, flexing his fingers as he attempted to slow his breathing and regain his composure. From the shards of glass clinging still to the window he could once more see behind him, see the place on the wall that was too dark, hapless roiling mass concentrating into something vaguely humanoid. He refused to turn, even as the head covered in that unnatural mop of black hair shifted through the plaster, tilting until a singular crimson speck was visible, vibrant and staring straight through him.

"You ask questions, yet refuse to acknowledge the answers? Now who is the child?" A smug grin creased the pale face, upper body appearing through the wall so he was more than just a mounted head.

"I did not ask for that-"

"You asked if you had summed up my existence…And you did, rather well for it being a poorly placed barb." A hint of annoyance had leaked into his voice, a sudden frown falling over the Nosferatu's face. It lingered for mere seconds before his expression smoothed and became soft, blank if a bit distracted.

"So…this is the true face of the creature summoned in the hopes of consuming God."

Alucard pulled himself forward fully, the rumble in his chest half laughter half some indiscernible noise of unknowable emotion. "That is but a glimpse, a mortal lifetime long passed."

Roy turned to face him, all contrasting colors and edges that moved against, even despite, the breeze. "You were human." The creature before him looked the stuff of bad dreams and fey tales, not of flesh and blood and mortal constraints.

"Once, long ago, I was a mortal man like you. I fought to protect what was mine; my beliefs, my land, my soul. And when I had destroyed everything for my cause, when my armies, my kingdom, my people lay spattered beneath my boots just as surely as that which I sought to eradicate, I turned my back to it all. I continued moving forward, even when all was lost and any man in his right mind would accept defeat and welcome the embrace of darkness brought on by the finality of the headsman's axe connecting with the block."

"Why tell me this? Why show me those things?"

"Why implicate myself? Mark myself as a target, a threat, a _monster_?" A nasty grin slid slowly, lopsidedly onto his face. "_Because I am_. And because this thing you now face, this unfathomable threat casting a shadow over your kingdom is far greater than you seem to be able to grasp. If you are not prepared to watch your kingdom burn and your people bleed, you will fall to the wayside like so much wasted _trash_."

"So I should do _that_? Should let that happen?" Mustang gestured angrily at the remnants of the window.

"You should accept it as a possibility, no, an eventuality. If you are strong where I was weak, you will stand victorious as dawn breaks. I have played war many times, will continue to do so long after you are dirt and faded memories; I was pulled here from the field of battle, thrown into conflict and now stand waiting for dawn to rise and the armies to once again march to center. Is my insight not, then, useful to you? Heed my advice or do not, I do not care. How many times tonight have I given it freely? How many more shall I bother? As many as you need, or none at all…."

Roy scrubbed a hand over his face, the sudden weight of the long night catching up to him helping at least to curb the foul emotions and push back the dire situation from consuming the forefront of his mind. He sighed. "Didn't I tell you to make yourself scarce if doing something useful was beyond you?"

"I was under the impression I was doing something _useful_."

"The line between being useful and giving people nightmares is clearly something you need to look into."

Alucard's response was laughter. "Is it now?!"


	15. a journey home

_"'this'" _is English (foreign to Amestris)  
_  
_

**chapter 15: a journey home  
**summary: Ed, Al, and Alucard make their way to Resembool

* * *

He dropped into the chair with a grunt, massaging his leg and eyeing his little brother. Alphonse was curled up under a mound of blankets, for all appearances dead to the world. Ed wasn't fooled for a second. "Y'know, you really should be sleeping Al."

Amber peeked out at him, a slight smirk on the thin boy's lips. "I know. Sorry, brother."

Ed snorted as Al sat up, fully dressed. "Where are you going?"

"With you."

He paused in the methodical rubbing of his thigh. "And where do you think I'm going?"

"Resembool. Someone has to make sure Winry doesn't skin you alive for breaking another one of her legs."

Ed winced at the thought. "Yea, she's going to be pissed. And you know she'll never believe me when I tell her it wasn't my fault."

Al nodded, pulling his knees to his chest. "So what did Roy have to say?"

He rubbed a hand over his face. The colonel hadn't bothered with sugar coating anything in the debriefing he'd just returned from, and he couldn't help but wonder if Alucard had done something to make the man so…_grave._ "There's a good chance that anyone in Central could have been infected before the attack here. And even with the quarantine protocol they're going to put into place, it's likely only a matter of time before all hell breaks loose. The Fuhrer won't shut down Central for fear of starting a nationwide panic, not without more proof."

"But what happens if it gets out? If it spreads to the other cities, to…" Al winced, clearly thinking of Resembool, just as Ed had when he'd first heard the news.

"If it doesn't, then we have thousands of hysterical people making our jobs harder." He scowled, not liking it at all. "Apparently it's better to keep people in the dark than to own up and let the threat be known. I get the point, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it."

"How are they going to implement a quarantine without letting the public know?"

"Some made up bullshit in the paper."

"And the attack on the hospital?"

"A cover story. Didn't say what, but I can only imagine it's going to be about as much bullshit as whatever they say to get people into quarantine."

"And Alucard?"

"Haven't seen him since….I haven't seen him since this morning." He didn't want to say it, didn't want to think about it, the death of Falman. And he certainly didn't want to think about Alucard's role in it, not when it made him want to break the monster's jaw and force him to swallow his own pointy teeth.

"He followed us, Roy and me, after…"

Ed frowned. "What'd he do?"

Al shrugged. "Nothing really. He didn't even really appear, just sort of…taunted us without actually speaking, then nothing." Al shifted as though uncomfortable. "He sort of scares me, brother. Not the things he says, the things he _doesn't_ say. And that look he gets when he thinks no one's paying attention to him. And the fact that we aren't even safe inside our own heads from him."

"You noticed it to, huh?"

"That feeling like he can see you better than you see yourself, and the way he says stuff sometimes, when he's not even around but it sounds like he's standing right beside you except…not quite."

The look on his brother's face reminded him suddenly of the way Roy had looked when the not-god had been brought up, a little too pale, a little too hard and...haunted was the only way he could think to describe it.

"So when are we leaving?"

The alchemist relaxed muscles he didn't know he was tensing, glad for the change of subject. "Tonight. The sooner I get fixed up, the sooner I have one less thing to worry about."

"'_Fleeing are we? Like birds before a storm?'" _

Ed scowled at the empty space of the room. "If you're going to taunt us, at least do it so we can understand you. I'd like to know whether or not transmuting you to the top of a flagpole is too much or too little."

"You'd be best going to the most extreme from the beginning, boy, lest you find yourself wanting later."

Both Elrics jumped at the sudden apparition lounging at the foot of the bed. "Fucking hell, do you have to do that?!" Alucard didn't respond, simply smiling that eerie smile of his made all the more unnerving by the inability to see his eyes behind those damnable glasses. "What do you want now? Got bored of fucking with the others, or are you making rounds of it?"

"Something like that…"

"Brilliant. Well, what if we don't want any?"

The nosferatu chuckled. "Does it look like I'm selling cookies, boy?"

"Something like that." He tried (and probably failed miserably) to mimic the other's accent.

Al choked back the chuckle he couldn't stifle in time. "Brother you're awful." The younger boy turned his gaze to the red clad creature at the end of his bed, ignoring the scowl Ed threw at him. "Why are you here?"

"Curiosity." Ed's scowl deepened. He was getting incredibly tired of the one word answer that seemed to be the not-god's go to. The lenses of Alucard's glasses flashed as he turned minutely toward the elder Elric, smile growing nearly imperceptibly. "A little birdie told me you plan to leave the city before the day is done."

He snorted, highly doubting anyone had directly told the nosferatu anything. "Yea? So what if I am? This leg isn't going to fix itself, and I'm useless if I can't walk without hobbling around like an old man."

A strange look flitted across Alucard's face. "_'you would be surprised, the things I have seen humans accomplish when they choose to carry on instead of giving up.'"_

"Again, with the foreign language thing. If I don't know what the hell you're getting on about, I'm going to start assuming it's automatically something that demands I make you one with the wallpaper."

If he hadn't been studying the creature's face, he wouldn't have caught it, the slight twitch at the corners of the mouth as though he was fighting to keep the inane smile plastered on.

"So you are leaving the would-be king to clean up the mess while you take a holiday?" It was so sincere, so innocently put that the question garnered far less anger than it would have otherwise.

"If I can't fight I'm no good to him, to any of them. And there's no way I'm bringing Winry here, not with the risk of her being infected while she's here."

Alucard repeated the name, as though trying out the syllables to see how they fit in his mouth. "An understandable precaution to take with your loved one. So very _human_."

"We're not together!"

Alucard snickered. "I never suggested such a thing." The nosferatu's voice turned sly. "I merely said loved one, a title adequate of any number of relations. Sister, mother, aunt….It was you who took my words as such."

Al snickered and Ed swallowed his comments, ire worming in his gut and face just a little too warm. He'd become so accustomed to having the Winry-is-not-my-girlfriend argument that he'd taken to jumping the bit on it to get it over with. And now he'd managed to not only make an ass of himself, but put the thought in the creature's head, which was the last thing he needed.

"Why do you care anyway? It's not like you're a decent human being who cares about what happens to us or anyone else here."

Again the oh-so slight twitch at the corners of his mouth. "It has been…._suggested _to me that I accompany you."

Ed felt himself gape. "What? By _who?_"

Silence was his answer, which did nothing to help ease the sudden uncomfortable whirl of emotions stirring about his insides at the thought of taking that thing back home to see Winry and Pinako.

"Maybe it's not such a bad thing." Al spoke carefully, aware of his brother's ire and still attempting to convince himself. "He knows more about these things than we do, and with your leg and my…state, neither of us is really in any position to properly defend ourselves or Winry and Pinako if the worst should happen. Alchemy or no alchemy. These things…they're fast, and they look like us, brother. Like people we know. And the chimeras-"Al suppressed a shudder.

Ed dropped his face into his hands with a sigh, running his hands through his still messy hair. He hated, _hated _that Al was right, because it meant more than conceding check mate to the nosferatu, it meant _owing him even more_. More than Alphonse realized. And the amount of debt he was amassing to the thing lounging not three feet away was piling up quickly, to the point that he was slowly becoming more likely to drown in it then manage to stay atop it.

"I know, Al. You." He turned a steely gaze on the No Life King, heartened at least to see the manic smirk shifting to something at least a little more serious. "If you come with us, we need to get something clear. Harassing us is one thing, but you _will not _harass Winry, or Pinako. You _will_ be civil to them, or you'll bite that forked tongue of yours and say _nothing_. Not because I'm afraid of you scarring them, but because I don't want to have to clean up the mess they make of you when you piss them off."

Alucard's grin returned, a dark curled thing that was more unnerving than the absent manic thing he normally wore. "_'Oh how these human companions of yours sound, so fiery, so marvelous.' _ As you wish, Edward Elric."

Ed frowned, but accepted the response, despite how the way in which it was said made little warning bells ding in the back of his head. _'Suppose I should be more worried if something he said DIDN'T make me paranoid.'_

"Our train leaves in two hours from Central Station. I don't suppose you happen to have a ticket as well?"

**-Central Station-**

The usual crush of people moving between trains was doing far more to grate on his patience than it usually did, something he could very easily link to the there-one-minute-gone-the-next presence that was Alucard. One moment the nosferatu would be alongside them, offering up the odd comment here, the next he would be gone, vanished into the crowd as though he'd never really existed in the first place. Which had resulted in more than a few occasions of Ed feeling like an ass when he turned to return a snarky comment only to find himself talking to air and receiving worried looks from those nearest him.

And at the moment, the red clad bane of his existence was nowhere to be seen; conveniently absent as they made their way to the train car and the uniformed man checking tickets. "Figures, sticks around long enough to make an ass of himself then disappears as soon as he'd have to prove he belongs here."

Al sighed at his brother's under the breath grumbling. "It's probably for the better, brother. We draw enough attention ourselves as it is, and I don't know about you, but I'd rather not get thrown off the train. At least this way we can pretend we aren't with him if he does something stupid."

He glanced over at his little brother, quite pleased with his line of reasoning. "Good point, I didn't think of it like that."

They made it onto the train with little fanfare, the only sign that something was going on in Central the odd list of questions that had greeted them before they were allowed entry into the train car. Questions that, to an average person, would sound like precautions for the oncoming winter season. But to him and Al, it was clear that at least the possible threat of spreading the disease was being taken seriously.

"Brother, do you think anyone's going to get suspicious about why the ticket master is asking whether or not people have recent injuries, or have come into contact with anyone who appears sick?" Al kept his voice low, eyeing the other occupants of the seats in front of them.

"Maybe. You'd be stupid not to question it."

"Which is why many won't." Alucard slid onto the seat across from them, for all the world just looking like another business traveler. At some point between the last time they'd seen him and now, the nosferatu had abandoned his flashy crimson clothes and donned a dark three piece suit of a far more current cut and style.

"What, decided now of all times you don't want everyone to pay attention to you?" Ed indicated the sudden change of clothes. He really hoped there wasn't some poor bloke tied up in the train station in nothing but his birthday suit.

The now golden-orange glasses flashed as Alucard glanced over their rims at the two, eyes curiously a dark brown. "My Masters have always preferred I…_blend in _when in public places not overrun by the undead. It has become something of a habit." A coy, half smirk slid onto his face. "And no, I did not _steal _these clothes from some hapless human, so save yourself the brain cells otherwise burnt out _worrying _over it."

"Then where the hell-"

"Tickets, please." The uniformed man watched them boredly, clearly hoping they would hurry up so he could move on and be that much closer to having finished this portion of his job. When Alucard didn't move to comply, the man sighed. "That means you too, sir."

Alucard turned in that aggravatingly slow, elegant manner of a gentleman who just couldn't be bothered. "You don't need to see my ticket." His voice had dropped into a silken hypnotic tone, dark eyes gleaming as they caught and held the human's gaze.

"I…don't?" It was obvious that whatever Alucard was doing was having an effect, the man's voice faltering and uncertain and just a little bit too dreamy.

"No, you don't. I belong here, and you don't need to see my ticket."

"You belong here, and I don't need to see your ticket…" His gaze had become unfocused, his voice that of a man caught in a waking haze.

"_Yes._"

And as quickly as it had come, the ticket puncher's gaze snapped back into focus as whatever it was that had been fogging his mind disappeared. "Right, all good here. Thank you. Evening, gentlemen."

Ed gaped after the man, slowly turning his attention back to the smirking creature before him. "How did you-what did you do to him?"

"A bit of _mental persuasion_, nothing more."

"What?"

"I think he means he hypnotized him brother." Al's astonishment was just a little too praising for Ed's tastes.

"You can't just _hypnotize _people to get what you want-"

"Can't I?"

Ed hissed. "It's _wrong, _damn it. Just because you can do it doesn't mean you should."

Alucard raised an elegant brow. "Oh? What if that man had been attempting to take you, or your brother, or a gaggle of children hostage? Would it be wrong then to convince him to do otherwise? Or would you prefer I instead use his mind to tint the windows of the carriage?"

"Damn it, don't turn this around on me! You know damn well that's not at all what I meant."

"Oh but I think it is. What do you expect would happen if he found me lacking in his precious ticket? Stop the train? Detain me? Throw me off before we got up to speed? All of these things would draw attention. Attention we would be most foolish to want. And what would you do, should I be ejected from your company and something goes wrong before we again meet? How would you handle a life or death situation in such closed quarters without the fully functioning bodies the two of you _children _currently lack?"

A warning hand on his shoulder from his brother kept Ed from angrily responding. "He's right, brother."

A ragged cough from somewhere near the front of the train car distracted them, even Alucard frowning and glancing to the side. Ed lowered his voice so he was just audible enough for Al to hear him, confident Alucard would hear regardless. "What're the odds there's at least one infected on this train right now? In this car?"

Alucard cast a thoughtful glance out the window, watching the last rays of the sun streak across the sky in brilliant hues of pink, orange, and gold. "Better than you think, worse than you'd like."

He felt the color drain from his face, heart beat oddly loud in his ears. "Alucard-"

"How long will it take to get to this 'Resembool' of yours?"

"Something tells me that if you have to ask, it's too long. How many?"

"Something tells me that if you have to ask, it's too many."

Ed ground his teeth together. "Hours. It's in the southeast near Ishval." He had no idea if Alucard knew what, or where Ishval was, but that wasn't his problem at the moment.

The vampire hummed thoughtfully, gaze still fixated outside. "In this car alone there are three that I am aware of; if there are any others, the condition has yet to reach a point of notice-ability."

"What do you mean notice-ability?"

"Progressing to the point of overcoming its carrier's immune system. Until that point, it is…hard for me to differentiate the infected from the uninfected. It will be even longer before your kind become aware that something is off, including those succumbing to the disease."

Ed swallowed the lump forming in his throat, sharing a worried look with Al. "How long before they…become a problem?"

"Each human is different. Minutes, hours…."

He cast a furtive glance around the car, though the most he could make out was a head here and there the way the seats were constructed higher for 'privacy' in the usually crowded area. A feature he normally enjoyed, but now seemed like the most asinine thing ever.

"What do we do?"

Ed met his brother's worried gaze. "I don't know what we can do but wait. If we demand they stop the train, we'll have to tell them why, and even if they believe us then we have to try to keep all these people calm-"

"What if waiting means someone not infected gets attacked? Ed, we can't just wait for them to turn and try to eat their neighbors! We have to at least _warn _the train workers!" Alphonse turned his gaze to Alucard, who was now observing them. "You can make sure they believe us."

The nosferatu flashed a toothy grin. "If that is your wish. Whatever course of action you choose, I suggest you do so soon. '_Tick tock'._"

"Brother, you and Alucard should go. Between your being a state alchemist and his…powers of persuasion, you're more likely to get a quick response. I'll stay here and keep an eye on things."

He frowned. "Al-"

"Don't worry brother; I can take care of myself. And someone has to look out for these people."

The idea of leaving his brother alone sat ill in his gut, but he knew there wasn't much of a choice. Alucard was right, they were short on time and shit for options. A deep breath to steady himself, a nod and he was out of his seat motioning for the nosferatu to follow him.

"Good luck."

Ed waved over his shoulder with more confidence than he felt, aware of his brother's gaze following him all the way out of their car.

He kept his gait as calm as he could, observing the passengers they passed out of the corner of his eye to keep from raising suspicion. "How many?" He whispered as quietly as he could out of the corner of his mouth, not acknowledging he'd asked the towering figure behind him a question.

"Five." The soft purr of a reply came as though spoken from near his shoulder, though a quick glance confirmed the man hadn't moved to address him.

They made it to the next car, the final one before they made it to the small area reserved for the train workers between the passenger compartments and the engine car.

"Here?"

"Two."

Ten in the first three cars, and those only the noticeable cases. How many more had yet to reach the point where the disease began to win out? How many more in the cars behind their own? It was the vague kind of math that did more to inspire unease than give confidence in the ability to control the situation.

"Total?"

A hum that tickled his ear. "Twenty three spread across all cars."

"Why didn't you mention this earlier? Before we got on this tin can, for instance?"

"I assumed doing so would be pointless. You require quick transportation to your destination, and should you have deigned not to utilize it, you may not have gotten the chance to repair your limb."

"So you let us get on board with at least twenty three potential ghouls without feeling the need to warn us before hand."

"I did not foresee it being overly problematic. I still do not, although the count has gone up since when we first boarded."

"Let me guess, it's going to keep going up until we're swimming in them."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Even if being so far removed from my home didn't dampen my abilities of Sight, it would still be hard to put an exact number on the potential threats."

Now he did cast a glance back (and up) at his follower. "What do you mean?"

"I am not a human, so I do not see as one. My reach is somewhat limited in this place, removed as I am from my Master, my coffin, and that which binds the two to me."

For the first time, Ed found himself truly curious of the nosferatu's origins, and the so-called bond that kept him a slave to his master. He just wished it'd come at a better time. He hated having to wait to have his questions answered.

"Sirs, can I help you?"

Ed looked determinedly up at the uniformed man, squaring his shoulders and assuming the mantle of state alchemist and authority figure once more. "You better, or everyone on this train won't last the night."


	16. a coffin with windows

**I am back. ** To those of you still with me, much love. Seriously. My absence was inexcusable, despicable, and (to me) startling when I realized how long it's been since last I appeared here. And although this chapter is shorter than I planned when i started it a year ago, what comes next has gained more depth and clarity. And rusty as I am I want to do it both in a timely fashion and to the specifications that exist inside my skull.

until then.

**Chapter 16: a coffin with windows (is still a coffin)  
Sum: **Ed and Alucard set in motion the Elric's containment plan.

* * *

Ed watched the man's face go from shocked to suspicious. He waited until his motives were about to be questioned to pull out the watch bearing the insignia of the State Alchemists. "Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist. Maybe you've heard of me?" He waited a beat before continuing, not bothering to introduce Alucard. "I need to speak with your superior immediately. We have an issue of dire consequence that if left unchecked will endanger the lives of everyone on this train."

Dark eyes darted from the watch, to him, to the space above his head he assumed Alucard was occupying. The man opened his mouth to question the nosferatu's presence, only to have his eyes glaze and his jaw close, nodding slowly. "Follow me, Sirs."

Ed threw Alucard a disapproving glance, but didn't bother bringing up his distaste. It could wait, their mission couldn't.

They were lead to an enclosed space occupied by five other men in uniform, all eyes quickly fixating on them when it became clear their fellow worker wasn't alone.

"Jensen, who are these people?" A broad man with an enormous mustache asked, clearly the superior in the group.

"Military sir."

Ed stepped forward and flashed his watch, introducing himself as he did. "Are you in charge here?"

"Yea, been in charge of these men since before you were out of diapers lad."

He could feel the vein in his forehead twitching. "Oh yea old man? Then I suppose you know this train inside and out, what with all the time you've had to sit in it and look pretty."

The conductor smirked. "Aye, reckon I do. What sort of military business does a pipsqueak and his pet suit have with me and my boys?"

"Well Mr.…?"

"Repin."

"Mr. Repin, I need you to listen closely. There are currently twenty three-"

"Twenty five." Alucard corrected smoothly.

Ed felt his frown deepen. At the rate they were going, it was only a matter of time before Alucard declared the entire population of the train a loss and they were swimming in the dead. "Twenty five passengers aboard this train that could be minutes away from death. And once they're dead, everyone on this train becomes nothing more than a prepackaged meal plan."

"I think you've gone soft in the head, kid-"

"I wish I had. Because that sounds better than the alternative, doesn't it? Me just some crazy kid, with no possible chance that what I'm saying has any validation what so ever. But I'm not, and the longer we stand here discussing who's head is softer, the less the likelihood of containing the situation."

Repin crossed his arms over his chest, mustache puffing out as he sneered down at the alchemist. "Say I believe you, say there are twenty five-"

"Twenty eight."

"You just said-"

"Yes. I did. However, now there are twenty eight of them."

The conductor huffed. "Fine. Twenty _eight_ passengers aboard my train on the verge of what? Going mental? This isn't going to end with you telling me a wee monster tears through their insides and starts gnawing on lookers on is it?"

Ed wasn't sure how to answer that one, as he'd never heard such a ridiculous thing. Alucard chuckled, though what humor he gleaned from the question, Ed didn't want to think about. "No? Look, we need to find a way to separate these people from everyone else to keep casualties to a minimum."

"Hold your horses lad, you still haven't explained this properly. So go on, out with it. Tell me why we absolutely must do as you ask."

"Alucard, why don't you _enlighten _our new friend here on the details."

And he did. In brilliant, nausea inducing detail that had every one of the men paler than the nosferatu filling their mind with horrific images.

"Are you-is that-"

"Now I think we're speaking the same language. Is there a place where we can quarantine these people?"

"We can put them in the dining car, sir." Jensen offered, far less shaken than the other men.

Ed nodded. "That actually could work well, if we can convince them they've won some sort of raffle dinner or something."

"Your kind _are_ rather fond of food they do not have to pay for themselves."

Ed ignored the jab, but the conductor didn't. "Oy, where you from then, eh? Creta? Drachma?"

"England. And before you start your little anti-foreigner diatribe, perhaps you could do as you've been _asked_. I do believe this _boy _is of a higher rank than yourself? And unless I'm mistaken, it is customary for the lower ranking individual to abide by the commands of his superior." Alucard tilted his head to the side, smirking serenely at the clearly displeased conductor.

Repin saluted stiffly to Ed. "Right, sir, perhaps if you could tell me how we differentiate the sick from everyone else so we can get started carrying out your orders?"

"Too pale, glassy eyes. A bite mark that looks like everything around it is dying-"

"It would seem we've spent our allotted time."

Ed whirled to face Alucard, noting the way the vampire was eyeing the door leading to the engine car. "You can't be serious! How many have already turned?!"

"Two, last car. They are being dealt with, however I doubt their would-be victims are aware that bite marks, no matter how small, are tantamount to a death sentence."

"Just great. And the other ones?"

A minute shrug of the shoulder. "Minutes, hours….still human, well, still _breathing_ at any rate."

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Ed turned back to Repin and his men. They were few, and by the looks of them did little in the way of maintaining authority with anything other than a pen and paper. But they were here, they were hands, and if (no, _when_) the worst came to pass they wore uniforms easily identifiable, and more readily trusted than a couple of kids and a suit.

"Right. We need one man per car; I think we should be able to manage that. Inspect everyone. And by inspect, I mean up close and personal. The one you miss is the one you'll regret." He managed to hold every last gaze turned his way, watched as they registered his sincerity, as they glanced to the dark clad man loitering behind him. Watched as all hope that this was a prank drained from them like water from a sink.

"You heard the boy, gents. After me."

Repin swept past the two of them, and Ed nodded as he did. There was no acknowledgement in return, but it didn't really matter. What needed to be done was on its way, and that's all that he cared about. He continued to stand to the side as the men filed past him, Alucard silent beside him. It was eerie, how still the man could be.

"Well put, if a touch inelegant."

"It got the job done, didn't it?"

"One would hope."

He glanced up into the placid face of his follower, who seemed to be staring at the door as though it were as transparent as his glasses.

"The night is still young, the party is 'just getting started' as one of my comrades was once fond of saying."

Ed managed to reign in his incredibility over the idea that the creature had 'comrades', his curiosity over what such people might be like (and more importantly what was wrong with their wiring) and his semi-horror over the idea that there could possibly be more than one of him.

The two followed the end of the grim procession into the passenger car, which was lit now only with the dim light of the few overheads-the sun had fully set as they'd proceeded with their grim errand. He tried to ignore the crawling sensation, cold and painstakingly slow along his skin as he surveyed the unwitting passengers. _Victims. Casualties. Soil displacing-_he snapped his eyes shut as if to cut the thought in half.

Coughs, murmurs, he returned his gaze to reality, observing, cataloging, calculating. They moved through the cars and in each one a man broke off, speaking in hushed tones to sleepy patrons. Ed nodded to Al as they passed, took note of his younger brother's gaze so bright and alert in the gloom. The overall atmosphere was hushed, creating a sense of foreboding the elder Elric did not like one tiny little bit. _'Man am I really getting sick of all these 'calm before the storm' moments'_

They made it through until finally only he, Alucard, and Repin were left, staring at the door that led into the final passenger car. The nosferatu had said nothing since they began their trek, no warnings, no re-counts, no snide remarks about anyone's mother.

He half expected to walk through the door into a scene torn from a horror movie, all blood spattered walls and flickering lights. After all, here now there be monsters. He took a deep breath as the door handle clicked, and shifted blindly over the threshold.


	17. come fly with me

_italics are Ed's thoughts._

**chapter 17: come fly with me**

* * *

He wasn't sure exactly what it was that pulled him from the serene depths of unconsciousness; the screams of the wounded (but living) passengers scattered around him, the groans and whines of the settling, shifting metal contraption that had finally come to rest, or that eerie feeling crawling over his scalp that he was being _watched_.

Or it could be that distant noise that sounded oddly like his name…

"Ed?" It was shaky but strong, close but not close enough.

He cracked open first one eye, then the other. Shadows on shadows on more shadows-you would have thought his previous state of unconsciousness would have prepared his night vision. There was dust in the air, shimmering and covering and _hiding_ more of the space around him than he would have liked. It was in his eyes, coating his mouth and subduing the coppery tang of blood.

_In and out, clench and unclench_

Everything flesh seemed well enough, around the general pain and stiffness that came with bruising to major areas. It was when he got through to checking his legs that his heart began to beat painfully, adrenaline rushing as his body registered the problem. It was the automail. If he hadn't been able to feel the weight of the limb, he would have thought it'd gotten lost in the chaos.

_Don't panic don't panic FUCK Winry is going to kill me rebuild me and kill me again fuck fuck FUCK this isn't good, they're probably still out there and I'm half of a paraplegic and-_

"Ed? Brother! Answer me!" A note of terror now.

He felt his mouth move, but nothing came out. Too much, there was too much shit in his throat, caking his tongue. He felt something inarticulate rattle around in his chest. He needed to get up, _must _get up and find Al and get _away_. Wary of cutting himself on errant debris, Ed pulled his shaky limbs to himself. With far more difficulty than he would like to admit to he managed to push himself onto his hands and knees (well, knee rather. Only one was cooperating at the moment.) The world swam, and he dug his fingers into the surface below him. Going only on the few senses he had access to, he was fairly certain he was perched on something metal. A few moments of staring at the space between his arms confirmed his suspicions as his sight returned.

He tried again to call for Al to no avail; although this time he managed something scratchy and gargling. It was enough to get the ball rolling, and he spent the next few precious seconds spitting out dirt and blood and (was that grass?) other crap all over the floor. Here and there it caused splinters of light he hadn't even noticed to take on a red tinge (glass, it was probably glass from the windows) which indicated there was probably more blood than he could actually taste. Never a good sign (he'd be lucky if he just walked away missing a tooth or two.)

"Al?" It was hoarse, and weak, but it was something.

"Ed? Ed was that you?! Brother where are you? "

For the first time since he had awoken, Ed looked up.

His eyes had adjusted as far as they were going to, but it was enough. Dark shapes, the outlines of the passenger seats (or what was left of them anyway.) He glanced to the side, brow furrowing slightly at the sight of earth and uprooted grass. It took a moment for it to click, for his brain to put it together. He'd ended up on what had been the wall below the window, the window which was now a gaping wound filled in with dirt and other debris torn up in their wake.

"Ed!" Exasperation had begun to seep into Al's voice now.

"Yea, I'm here. M'okay, Al" Not quite true, not strictly a lie. He wasn't dead, after all.

The wood of the seat in front of him creaked as he used it to pull himself to his feet. It was awkward, what with the dead weight of his metal limb trying to throw him off balance and all. From the new angle he had a better view, one that added in dark shapes that looked very much like corpses strewn here and there. There was groaning, sobbing, the occasional movement but nothing promising (or threatening) yet.

"Al, where are you?"

"Here."

Ed turned himself around, toward the sound of his little brother's voice. They were closer to what had been the end of the car, and he could just see the top of his brother's head in the gloom. There was no point wasting further energy shouting; Ed instead threw himself to the next seat for support, pausing only a moment to pull himself around it and repeat the process. After the third of such maneuvers, he found himself shaking, from the exertion, from the delayed shock, from the sudden lack of adrenaline flooding his veins. He had to pause, to gather himself. Not just for himself, but for Al. He needed _composure _damn it, he needed to be able to reassure his brother and actually look like he wasn't lying his ass off.

It was as he was standing there, leaning on his forearms and taking steady breaths that he heard it. At first it didn't sound any different from the earlier signs of semi-life…until he realized the sobbing had stopped. The groans had gone from people in _pain _to _things that hungered_. There was no way for him to substantially describe the difference, but it was there. And it brought back the creepy crawlies.

Taking a deep breath, he straightened and continued toward Al, pointedly not looking behind him. _I can't see you you can't see me_.

"_Al." _

Wide golden eyes looked up at him, relief flooding them even as they took in his appearance. Ed lowered himself as gently (and quietly) as he could next to his brother so they were both shielded by the seat.

"Brother, your leg-"

Ed waved off the whispered worry. "M'fine. How about you?"

AL shrugged. "Just a little tired."

His eyes flickered to Al's forehead. "You're bleeding."

It was Al's turn to do the waving off. "It looks worse than it is. It's just a scratch. Really Ed, look. It's nearly stopped bleeding. I'll be fine."

He nodded, a glance toward the other end of the car deciding for him that now was not the time to question the younger Elric's judgment. "Can you stand?"

A nod.

"Can you run?"

Another, albeit slower, nod. "Yes, I think so. Brother….can you?"

Ed felt his face go stony before he could catch it and fill it instead with fake confidence. "Of course, what do you think I am an invalid?"

Al's eyes had slid past him, looking out toward the rest of the boxcar. "Do you remember when that fox got into Pinako's house?"

Ed blinked, unprepared for the odd question. "Yea, we were just kids-"

"And how Den chased it all the way into the tree-line?"

Ed frowned. "Al-"

"Chased it all the way back to its den?"

He nodded. The fox had been a cub, and its parents hadn't exactly greeted the pup with open paws. Den had returned not long after, limping and whimpering and worrying the bite on his leg. Pinako had done everything she could, but Den had lost his leg…and Winry had helped make him a new one.

"I think I know how he felt, brother. When he got to the den and realized the rules had changed."

**-earlier- **

The last car was just as dim and sleepy as those previous; although here it was obvious this calm had only recently re-settled. Right away Ed could see signs of the earlier scuffle Alucard had mentioned; a few scattered belongings, a few overturned suitcases, the bodies laid out in the back of the car…He made straight for them, letting Repin take care of inspection duties.

As he got closer he noted the jackets covering the faces of the two dead, one man one woman. Sitting near them the four men who rose to the occasion to subdue them. Everyone else in the car was notably sitting as far away from them as possible. And really, he didn't blame them. First one, and then the other three looked up at him, watching him approach with the same grim expression they'd been wearing before they noticed him.

"Stay back boy, ain't nothin for you to see back here."

He scowled at the 'boy' comment (_boy, I'll show them boy, I'll kick their asses up and down this train and then we'll see who's the baby little shrimp!)_ but otherwise managed to keep his composure. Al would have been proud. "Unless your friends there are just having a little nap, I'm going to have to disagree with you." He flashed his watch, although whether it meant anything in the dim lighting was up for debate. "Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist."

The man closest to him (and the only one sitting on the same bench as the dead) frowned, but didn't bother challenging him on the claim. "Well, _Mr. Elric_ can you explain to me why these two folks here just up and lost their minds?"

"Depends. What happened?"

"She started first." One of the other men chimed in.

The ringleader nodded. "Aye, she did. One minute she's groanin like the sickness has her, the next she's clawin at her husband's face like summkinna animal. Before we can grab her he's backed outta the seat too far, falls on his ass and cracks his skull." The man gestured to one of the seat benches; a rather obvious patch of red goop indicating the fall probably did more than give him a headache.

"Then-"The man rubbed a hand over his face, and Ed noticed the bandage for the first time, pink beginning to show in a damning semi-circle. "Then she tries to crawl on him. We managed to get a hold of her, but then…" A glance at the male body. "Then her boyfriend gets up."

"Got up and left 'alf 'is skull behind." Another of the men added, eyes fixed on the stain.

"And instead of retaliating at her he…he goes for us. Both of 'em. We couldn't restrain em…."

Ed nodded, remembering all too well the unnatural strength of the things. "How were they before they…went odd?"

The men exchanged glances and then shrugged. "She looked kinda sick I guess….it got worse just before."

"And him?"

Unanimous head shaking. "He seemed fine."

_That's what worries me._ Out-loud: "That looks like a nasty cut."

The unspoken group leader glanced at his arm. "Yea, bloody woman tried to take a bite out of my arm like some kinda deranged animal."

"They bite anyone else?"

He noticed the subtle shift in the would-be hero's demeanors, wariness beginning to awaken in them. He also noticed that one of the other three men was trying to make sure his hand was as out of site as possible.

"Why? They ain't got rabies?"

A soft chuckle behind him; he'd almost completely forgotten about Alucard. "Something like that…."

The man paled and once more looked down critically at the body next to him (and the wound on his arm, although that he did as surreptitiously as possible.)

He opened his mouth, fully prepared to snark and bullshit his way into getting the two men to (quietly, calmly) follow him to be quarantined. The space that he'd been about to fill with all of these completely convincing half truths was filled instead with a distant scream and what was most likely the breaking of glass. He turned in time to see something fly past the window, knocking against one of the panes of glass just hard enough to chip it.

And then the lights went out.

One, then two shots fired, Ed holding his breath now, watching the door between the two cars. Everyone else in the car too is silent, watching that same door as the sounds of a struggle reach them over the roar of the wind and the clacking of the tracks.

"Elric!" Repin, drawing his gun as he shouts.

Time seemed to slow as he turned back to the self-made heroes; standing directly behind him now (when did he get up?) the leader of the rag tag band _loomed _(there was no other way he could think to describe it.) A chill raced down his spine, his mind conjuring up the transmutation circle he'd need to make the man and the floor one. Ed may not have been a boy, but he was still smaller than the man who'd called him such, and the way his shoulder were hunched made him look twice as wide.

Ed took a step back as the man began to wheeze, drool dripping off his shadowed face. They both moved simultaneously, the man lunging as Ed dropped to the floor, releasing the alchemy before 250 lbs of zombie dropped onto him. The floor slid up to bind the man around the legs, Ed moving further from reach as it did. Another growl caught his attention just as its owner managed to topple over the bench that had been between them. The noise from his body gracelessly hitting the floor seemed to snap the other occupants from their stupor. He could see Repin trying to calm them, and Alucard-

The nosferatu's full attention was fixated toward the front of the train.

"Oy, Lying King!"

Alucard tilted his head lightly to show he was listening, but otherwise ignored the alchemist.

"Are you going to help me or-"He placed a well aimed kick to the second man's face, sending him stumbling backwards. "Just continue to be bloody useless?!"

The nosferatu's gaze slid upwards. "We have a visitor."

"What?" He transmuted the man into the back of the bench, then turned back to yell further at his companion. Alucard was gone. "That bloody-"A deafening screech as the brake chord was pulled and the engine continued to pull forward, jolting everyone forward. The chord was released and the passenger cars jolted again. Luggage fell from the racks, people clung to one another and whatever else they could find that was bolted down. Repin was making his way back toward the door they had entered through, hollering something over his shoulder Ed couldn't quite make out over the ringing in his ears. And then the train was jolted violently again, and Repin was gone.

Ed blinked, staring at the swinging door that had only moments ago outlined the conductor. "Repin?!" He made his way towards the front of the car. "Oy, wanker! This isn't the time for hide and-"She blindsided him halfway to his destination, their combined weight throwing him off balance and sending them crashing to the side. Fortunately he hit the tall backing, making it easier for him to throw her off balance long enough to land a stinging blow to her jaw. He felt the bone crack under his knuckles, but there was no response. The head jerked back, but just as quickly it came back; her mouth now leaking blood and loose teeth. He kneed her in the stomach, but that was about as useful as spitting on a fire. For the first time (that he would admit) he missed his automail arm, and the useful all-out-of-options weapon it made. Instead he swept her legs out and shoved as hard as he could. She crashed to the floor and he followed her with a transmutation at the ready. Once she was sufficiently trapped, he leapt over her.

"Repin!"

He made it through to the other car before he had to stop-this time to take in what he was seeing. There was blood and brains spattered here and there, bodies littered just out of site save the few draped over seat backs. And then the ones standing turned to him, as one. Two things became clear to him then. One, Repin was gone, most likely for good. And two, was that he really needed to learn to knock first. A glance over his shoulder confirmed that yes, forward was still the best way (the only way, because Al was up there.) So he took it. A quick transmutation had the floor and seats assisting him in parting the group of shambling monsters, a roundhouse taking out the straggler he hadn't seen in the back. Glass crunched under his feet from the broken windows, wind whipped through the compartment and everything was slick with blood. All of these things he ignored as he dashed to the next car, intent on getting back to his brother.

In every car he passed at least one person had turned, sometimes all of them. He told survivors to bar the doors behind him, to at least keep one car's infection from spreading to another. By time he made it to the car he and Al had originally been lounging in, he could no longer ignore the way the train was swaying. (_How fast is this heap going? As fast as it can?) _ He didn't like the implications.

"Al!"

His brother was standing with a group of people, clearly having just put down someone that'd turned.

"Ed, it's start-"

An earsplitting screech cut him off- in multiple cars, scared passengers had pulled the brake lines. But the train was roaring full speed, the engine car more than likely running in the red. The passenger cars jumped, dancing over the tracks as multiple cars' wheels locked up. Another line must have been pulled, the screech changing to a crash of metal connecting wrong; the car Ed stood in jolted forward, tilting one end up as the cars disconnected. The far end smashed into the car before it in line, giving it just the push it needed to disconnect fully with the tracks. Ed braced himself between two seats as the box car turned sideways and began to tilt. He watched wide-eyed as the tracks became visible through the window, growing larger with each passing second until he was looking down at them, until he had to close his eyes and look away as the windows shattered with impact. He focused on _not_ letting go, _not _falling out of the window that was no longer a window (a bump, more than likely someone who'd lost their grip and done just that.) The noise was horrific; the jarring of his limbs painful to the point that it was getting harder and harder to feel them. When it seemed their forward momentum had slowed, the car behind slammed into theirs, hitting it at an angle and rupturing part of (what was once) the floor. They were whipped to the side as the car was forced to drastically change its angle, and a moment later they collided with the car in front of theirs. The force threw everyone and everything toward it, including Ed who registered a splintering noise and immense pain before he collided with metal and darkness took hold of him.

* * *

a/n: the title of this chapter was born of my suddenly having Frank Sinatra stuck in my head. that is all.


End file.
